Mechanism and Kinetics of Stabilization Reactions of Polyacrylonitrile and Related Copolymers III. Comparison among the Various Types of Copolymers as Viewed from Isothermal DSC Thermograms and FT-IR Spectral Changes

Abstract

Relationship between thermal behavior and structural change was studied by an organized combination of isothermal DSC thermograms and FT-IR spectra so as to investigate the stabilization reactions of acrylonitrile/acrylamide (AN/AAM) copolymer in comparison with those of acrylonitrile/methacrylic acid (AN/MAA) copolymer and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The isothermal DSC exothermic thermogram of the AN/AAM copolymer was broader than that of the AN/MAA copolymer and a little sharper than that of PAN, indicating that structural changes during stabilization proceed in the AN/AAM sample more slowly than that in the AN/MAA copolymer and more rapidly than PAN homopolymer.