TG/DSC/FTIR/QMS studies on the oxidative decomposition of terpene acrylate homopolymers

The oxidative thermal stability along with the identification of the volatile decomposition products under heating of terpene acrylate homopolymers by using TG/DSC/FTIR/QMS-coupled method was presented. It was found that the decomposition of poly(geranyl acrylate) and poly(neryl acrylate) had quite different course as compared to the decomposition process of poly(citronellyl acrylate) under oxidative conditions. FTIR and QMS analyses confirmed mainly the formation of terpene hydrocarbons, propane, propene, acetic acid, CO, CO₂ and H₂O as the volatile decomposition products under heating of the hompolymers. The results obtained indicated the complex decomposition process of terpene acrylate homopolymers including the random ester bond scissors, the random main carbon chain scissors, decarboxylation, dehydration and oxidation processes of formed gaseous decomposition products and a residue which led to the full decomposition of homopolymers at ca. 600 °C under oxidative conditions.