| Abstract: | Degradation of polyvinylchloride has been reexamined in the light of its DT-DSC-TG analytical behavior up to a temperature of 1000°C in an inert atmosphere. Four distinct stages of degradation have been identified. The first stage is almost eventless with no change in weight for untreated PVC samples. The second stage is almost exclusively dehydrochlorination. The third stage appears to be a structural reorganization involving such processes as cis-trans isomerization, aromatization, and crosslinking. The fourth stage appears to be a structural degradation and is associated with the evolution of hydrocarbons. The role of liberated hydrogen chloride has been better appreciated in catalyzing the above secondary reactions on the polyene residue obtained on partial or total dehydrochlorination. The effect of the particle dimension and chemical and physical pretreatments of the samples, such as low temperature dehydrochlorination by an alkali and vacuum heat treatment, respectively, on the degradation pattern has been studied. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
