Thermal degradation of thin films of isotactic polypropylene and polypropylene with ketonic additives

The rate of oxidation of 0.3–0.7 mil films of pure polypropylene is much more rapid than with thicker films. The rate of oxidation increases with the increase in the partial pressure of oxygen and with temperature. The apparent activation energy in oxygen is 22.5 keal/mole. 1,3-Diphenyl-2-propanone added to the polymer acts as an oxidation initiator while p-phenylacetophenone and 4-phenylbenzophenone slightly retard the oxidation. The effects of the additives are more pronounced when the oxidation was carried out in air or at the lower temperatures (90°C) when the oxidation was conducted in pure oxygen. The degree of crystallinity based on the infrared data was found to increase with the degree of oxidation of the polymer.