Thermal stability of cationically allylated poly(vinyl chloride) and poly(vinyl chloride- co-2-chloropropene) copolymer

Abstract

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and PVC with increased concentrations of reactive tertiary chlorines (PVC(T)) were obtained by free radical polymerisations. PVC(T) was prepared by copolymerisation of vinyl chloride with 2-chloropropene. Thermal degradation of these polymers indicates the significant effect of tertiary chlorine defects on the thermal stability of PVC, i.e. increasing tertiary chlorine content decreases the stability of this polymer, on the one hand. However, efficient chemical modification, introduction of allyl groups by carbocationic derivatisation, is possible in the case of PVC(T) in contrast to the PVC homopolymer. It was found that allylation improves the thermal stability of both PVC and PVC(T). These investigations also indicate that about 50% allylation of thermally labile tertiary chlorines occurs in these polymers under the conditions used.