Thermal Degradation of Polymers. V. Derivation of Thermogravimetric and Kinetic Data from Mass Spectrometric Thermal Analysis

Abstract

Derivation of kinetic and thermogravimetric data from mass spectrometric thermal analyses of polytetrafluoroethylene and silicone resins has been achieved using a new method of data treatment applicable to the entire temperature range in which degradation occurs, even at relatively high heating rates (66 to 118°C/min). For heating rates to 300°C/min, the method of Ozawa relating activation energy to the slope of a graph of log (heating rate) vs. reciprocal temperature of the MTA maximum was employed to estimate an activation energy for polytetrafluoroethylene. Both methods give data in satisfactory agreement with results obtained by other methods.