Kinetic constants of polymeric materials from thermogravimetric data

Abstract

The thermal decomposition of polytetrafluoroethylene (TFE, Teflon), high and low density polyethylene (HDP and LDP), Delrin Acetal (DA), AVCO Phenolic Fiberglass (APFG), and carbon phenolic (CP), were studied by a thermogravimetric technique which utilized a constant heating rate. Loss in sample weight was recorded as a function of time or temperature from room temperature to approximately 700°. Reaction orders were established from logarithmic rate versus temperature plots. Arrhenius frequency factors and overall activation energies were determined from computerized integrations of the appropriate rate equations in which the results were treated on the basis of first-order reaction mechanisms for specific temperature regions. Zero-order mechanisms were estimated by the usual graphical methods.