Oxidation and weight loss characteristics of commercial phosphate esters

Abstract

Neutral phosphate ester compounds find wide application as plasticizers and flame-retardant additives in the polymer industry. They are also used extensively in the lubrication industry as fire-resistant functional fluids and as lubricant additives. In these industrial applications, the oxidative stability and volatility of the phosphate ester is of critical importance. We evaluate the oxidative stability and relative volatility of several commercially available phosphate esters. The techniques of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) have been used to evaluate these thermal properties