A Kinetic Study of the Thermal and Oxidative Degradations of a New Poly(arylene)ether Copolymer

The degradation of a new thermoplastic poly(arylene)ether copolymer was carried out in both dynamic and isothermal heating conditions, under nitrogen flow and in a static air atmosphere. The measurements showed that the copolymer degraded through two stages in both investigated environments with the formation of a stable residue in N₂ and complete mass loss in air. The apparent activation energy values associated with the degradation processes were evaluated. The obtained results suggested different degradation mechanisms between N₂and air. Results were discussed and compared with those obtained for several polymers previously investigated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.