Abstract
Abstract The reader will find basic knowledge about the degradation of polymers, its causes, course and consequences in a broader context, as indicated through the list of the chapter titles: Introduction; Depolymerization; Initiated cleavage (degradation) of macromolecules; Thermal degradation; Photochemical degradation; Mechanochemical degradation; Oxidative degradation; Polymer burning; Kinetics of cleaving macromolecules when chain depolymerization is negligible; Degradation in polymer recycling; Protection of polymers against degradation.
Highlights
Degradation is the act of reducing something or someone to a less respected state
In certain cases controlled polymer degradation is useful. It can improve the processability of the polymer or it can be used in the recycling or natural decomposition of waste polymer (Jellinek, 1978)
In the vast majority of cases, the cleavage of macromolecules is an integral part of the polymer degradation
Summary
Degradation is the act of reducing something or someone to a less respected state. In polymer science, degradation generally refers to a complex process by which a polymeric material exposed to the environment and workload loses its original properties (Horie et al, 2004). As the activation Gibbs energy of propagation as well as depropagation is low, such system responses to the increase in temperature by the gradual release of monomer molecules from active ends of living chains, until the new equilibrium between the polymer and monomer molecules is reached This is so-called chain-end cleavage mode frequently dubbed unzipping. The almost ideal stepwise depolymerization takes place in the hydrolysis of the watersoluble polyester in a dilute aqueous solution (reverse of polyesterification) In this case, each ester bond can be cleaved in the time interval with the same probability, which is the random cleavage mode (Jellinek, 1978; Montroll & Simha, 1940; Vohlídal, 1994). The type of initiation is used as adjective denoting the type of polymer degradation
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