Polymer Degradation Studies by FTIR

Abstract

Polymer degradation can take many forms, chemical, photochemical, thermal and mechanical, and can affect a wide range of polymers in various ways. Although it is usual to assume that ‘polymer degradation studies’ implies the study of degradation processes that occur in pure polymers when subjected to external stimuli, the topic also includes the examination of degraded polymeric materials recovered from the field and the use of degradation as a characterisation tool. The applied nature of the research work performed at Materials Research Laboratory directs our interests in polymer degradation to the latter two categories, rather than investigation of degradation processes in pure polymers.