• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.491-498
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• 2006

The thermal degradation of poly(hexamethylene guanidine) phosphate (PHMG) was studied by dynamic thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and pyrolysis-GC/MS (p-GC). Thermal degradation of PHMG occurs in three different processes, such as dephosphorylation, sublimation/vaporization of amine compounds and decomposition/ recombination of hydrocarbon residues. The kinetic parameters of each stage were calculated from the Kissinger, Friedman and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa methods. The Chang method was also used for comparison study. To investigate the degradation mechanisms of the three different stages, the Coats-Redfern and the Phadnis-Deshpande methods were employed. The probable degradation mechanism for the first stage was a nucleation and growth mechanism, $A_n$ type. However, a power law and a diffusion mechanism, $D_n$ type, were operated for the second degradation stage, whereas a nucleation and growth mechanism, $A_n$ type, were operated again for the third degradation stage of PHMG. The theoretical weight loss against temperature curves, calculated by the estimated kinetic parameters, well fit the experimental data, thereby confirming the validity of the analysis method used in this work. The life-time predicted from the kinetic equation is a valuable guide for the thermal processing of PHMG.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.411-416
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• 2009

The color stabilization of antimicrobial blends was studied by using poly(hexamethylene guanidine) phosphate (PHMG) as a highly efficient biocidal and nontoxic agent. The Taguchi method was used to determine the optimum conditions for the blending of PHMG in polypropylene (PP) matrix. To improve the yellowing phenomena, two kinds of stabilizer were used together: tetrakis[methylene(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyhydrocinnamate)](IN1010) from phenol and tris(2,4-di-t-butylphenylphosphite) (IF168) from phosphorus. According to blend composition and mixing condition, six factors were chosen, with five levels being set for each factor. The orthogonal array was selected as the most suitable for fabricating the experimental design, L25, with 6 columns and 25 variations. The-smaller-the-better was used as an optimization criterion. The optimum conditions for these parameters were 10 phr for PHMG, 2 phr for IN1010, 1 phr for IF168, 10 min for mixing time, $210^{\circ}C$ for mixing temperature, and 30 rpm for rotation speed. Under these conditions, the yellowness index of the blend was 1.52. The processibility of the blends was investigated by Advanced Rheometric Expansion System (ARES). The blend with 0.5 w% PHMG content, diluted with PP, exhibited an antimicrobial characteristic in the shake flask method.