On the thermal degradation of poly(styrene sulfone)s. I: An apparatus for investigation of early stages of thermal degradation

Abstract

The apparatus used in studies of the early stages of thermal degradation of poly(styrene sulfone) (PSSf) is described, combining good reproducibility, high accuracy and a low detection limit. The evolved sulfur dioxide is absorbed in KCl solution and the pH-value is continuously recorded. Measurements of the evolved rate of sulfur dioxide under thermal degradation repeated four times showed a standard deviation of 2.1% of the mean value. The activation energies for poly( styrene sulfone) under thermal degradation in nitrogen were found to be in the range of 53–79 kcal/mole. It was found that activation energy decreased with an increase in the content of sulfur in the polymer.