• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.278-286
• /
• 2007

As a part of enhancing the performance of wood-plastic composites (WPC), polypropylene (PP)/ nanoclay (NC)/ wood flour (WF) nanocomposites were prepared using melt blending and injection molding process to evaluate their thermal stability. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was employed to investigate thermal degradation kinetics of the nanocomposites both dynamic and isothermal conditions. Dynamic scans of the TGA showed an increased thermal stability of the nanocomposites at moderate wood flour concentrations (up to 20 phr, percentage based on hundred percent resin) while it decreased with the addition of 30 phr wood flour. The activation energy $(E_a)$ of thermal degradation of nanocomposites increased when nanoclay was added and the concentration of wood flour increased. Different equations were used to evaluate isothermal degradation kinetics using the rate of thermal degradation of the composites, expressed as weight loss (%) from their isothermal TGA curves. Degradation occurred at faster rate in the initial stages of about 60 min., and then proceeded in a gradual manner. However, nanocomposites with wood flour of 30 phr heated at $300^{\circ}C$ showed a drastic difference in their degradation behavior, and reached almost a complete decomposition after 40 min. of the isothermal heating. The degree of decomposition was greater at higher temperatures, and the residual weight of isothermal degradation of nanocomposites greatly varied from about 10 to 90%, depending on isothermal temperatures. The isothermal degradation of nanocomposites also increased their thermal stability with the addition of 1 phr nanoclay and of wood flour up to 20 phr. But, the degradation of PP100/NC1/MAPP3/WF30 nanocomposites with 30 phr wood flour occurs at a faster rate compared to those of the others, indicating a decrease in their thermal stability.

• Fibers and Polymers
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.75-80
• /
• 2001

The thermal degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate-co-isophthalate)s (PETIs) is investigated by using isothermal thermogravimetric analysis at the temperature range of 280-31$0^{\circ}C$. The degradation rate of PETIs is increased as the mole ratio of ethylene isophthaloyl (EI) units in PETIs increases. The activation energies for the thermal degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate), PETI(5/5), and poly(ethylene isophthalate) are 33.4, 16.6, and 8.9 kcal/mole, respectively. The degradation rate of PETIs is influenced by their volatile cyclic oligomer components formed during the polymerization and the thermal degradation. It is simulated by the rotational isomeric state model that the content of cyclic dimer in PETIs, which is the most volatile cyclic oligomer component, increases with the EI units in PETIs.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.208-214
• /
• 2011

In this thesis, the partial discharge according to applied voltage and variations of cross-sectional area and length of the conductor related to general condition for using cable was measured in order to study degradation diagnosis for 2-Core cable of the PVC insulator used in industrial fields for other safety installations. Also the thermal degradation conditions under various installation circumstances of cables were studied by assuming degradation conditions with each different degradation rate (50%, 67%, 100%) such as variation in degradated temperature, thermal exposure time, normal state, partially degradated state and overall degradated state for thermal degradation diagnosis. The quantity of electric discharge (V-Q) according to applied voltage was measured for measurement of inception voltage and extinction voltage. The quantity of electric discharge and the number of electric discharge (Q-N) were measured with applied voltage kept constantly. In addition, pictures were taken using SEM (scanning electron microscope) to compare the surface of external insulator to degradated state of internal insulator according to thermal degradation temperature and also compare the surface of external insulator to degradated surface state of internal insulator according exposure time of cables to thermal stress.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.508-517
• /
• 2005

The thermal degradation behavior and reliability analysis were investigated using dynamic thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and accelerated degradation test (ADT) to characterize the dynamic parameters related to thermal degradation of plastic meterials for household electric appliances. In addition, the weathering of the plastic were performed by ADT using Xenon uc, and the color difference of the samples after ADT were measured with Color Eye 3010 specoophotometer. he activation energy for thermal degradation of the samples increased with increasing the rate of weight loss. The Kim-Park method was found to be more effective analysis in describing thermal degradation of plastic meterials. Plastic materials were very sensitive to ultra-violet rays in faster degradation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
• /
• 2002.10a
• /
• pp.43-47
• /
• 2002

Weight loss experiments have been performed for unidirectional carbon fiber/epoxy laminates under both isothermal and cyclic thermal conditions. It was found that weight losses were the result of both specimen-geometry dependent oxidative degradation and volumetric geometry dependent thermal degradation. Thermal degradation was found to play a major role in the overall weight loss process, and photomicrographs of cross-sectioned, aged specimens confirmed this fact. A method to predict the effect of isothermal environment on the weight loss was introduced and found to be in good agreement with experimental data at temperatures near Tg (glass transition temperature).

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.12 no.5
• /
• pp.466-473
• /
• 2004

We have used FT-IR spectra to explain the effects of hydrogen bonding between chitosan and polycaprolactam (PA6). A dynamic mechanical analysis study suggested that the optimum chitosan and PA6 miscibility under the conditions of this experiment were obtained at a blending ratio of 40:60. We studied the thermal degradation of chitosan blended with PA6 (chitosan/PA6) by thermogravimetric analysis and kinetic analysis (by the Ozawa method). Dry chitosan and PA6 exhibited a single stage of thermal degradation and chitosan/PA6 blends having> 20 wt% PA6 exhibited at least two stages of degradation. In chitosan/PA6 blends, chitosan underwent the first stage of thermal degradation; the second stage proceeded at a temperature lower than that of PA6, because the decomposition product of chitosan accelerated the degradation of PA6. The activation energies of the blends were between 130 and 165 kJ/mol, which are also lower than that of PA6.

• Fibers and Polymers
• /
• v.4 no.4
• /
• pp.195-198
• /
• 2003

Epoxidized polybutadiene (EPB) was prepared by polybutadiene (PB) with m-chloroperbenzoic acid (MCPBA) in homogeneous solution. EPB was blended with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) up to 30 wt% by solution-precipitation procedure. The thermal decomposition of PHB/EPB blends was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The thermograms of PHB/EPB blends contained a two-step degradation process, while that of pure PHB sample exhibited only one-step degradation process. This degradation behavior of PHB/EPB blends, which have a higher thermal stability as measured by maximum decomposition temperature and residual weight, is probably due to crosslinking reactions of the epoxide groups in the EPB component with the carboxyl chain ends of PHB fragments during the degradation process, and the occurrence of such reactions can be assigned to the exothermic peaks in their DTA thermograms.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.833-838
• /
• 2012

The thermal degradation products of polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) obtained by heating the sample in the temperature range of $250-360^{\circ}C$ under non-oxidative conditions was characterized using MALDI-TOF (matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization) mass spectrometry. The structures of the degradation products were determined and the relative compositions were estimated. The MALDI-TOF mass spectra of the thermally degraded PTT sample showed three main series of oligomer products with different end groups, which were carboxyl/carboxyl, carboxyl/allyl, and allyl/allyl. In contrast to the thermal degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the oligomers containing terephthalic anhydrides were not detected, whereas the formation of oligomers containing the unsaturated allyl ester group was confirmed by mass assignment. From these results, it was concluded that the thermal degradation of PTT proceeds exclusively through the ${\beta}$-CH hydrogen transfer mechanism, which is in accordance with the proposed reaction mechanism for the thermal degradation of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.295-299
• /
• 2004

Alpha-tocopherol was thermally oxidized and degraded at high temperatures and the resulting products were chromatographically separated and identified by LC-MS. Alpha-tocopherol dissolved in glycerol was heated at 200^{\circ}C for 30 min. The thermal products were separated by hexane extraction and analyzed by HPLC using a reversed phase $\mu$-Bondapak $C_{18}-column$ with two kinds of elution solvents: a mixture of acetonitrile and methanol (3:2), and of acetonitrile, methanol, 2-propanol, chloroform and methylene chloride (3:2:5:0.5:0.5) in a gradient mode. The isolated thermal. products of alpha-tocopherol were more viscous than alpha-tocopherol, and dark brown in color. Major thermal degradation products of alpha-tocopherol were identified by LC-MS, and the structures of thermal products were proposed. Alpha-tocopherol and its thermal degradation products were degraded into fragments, mainly at the non-aromatic parts. The degradation products of alpha-tocopherol. were combined with oxidized product (tocopherylquinone) to make thermal. products through dimerization.

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