Thermogravimetric analysis of poly(dialkylphenyl methacrylates)

The thermostability of poly(dialkylphenyl methacrylates) was studied by dynamic thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The kinetic data obtained by TG show that the thermostability of these polymers decreases in the following order: PPh ≈ 2,6DPP ≈ 2,4DBP ≫ 2,6DMP ≫ 2,5DMP ≈ 2,4DMP ≈ 2,5DMP. The data suggest that the thermal stability of these polymers is not only influenced by the bulkiness and steric hindrance to rotation of the pendant group around the main chain, but also that other factors may influence the thermal decomposition at least in this family. The order of reaction for the thermal decomposition of this kind of polymer was found to be zero. The energy of activation of the decomposition for poly(dial-kylphenyl methacrylates) was determined.