During the formation of polymer products, thermal degradation has been an issue, which is also affected by the presence of oxygen and other impurities as well as the processing conditions. Thermal degradation not only impacts the physical and mechanical properties of the products, but also often leads to the failure of production lines. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie thermal degradation can thus lead to the production of polymer materials with enhanced properties and can minimize waste during production. The goal of this work is to utilize both experiments and simulations to investigate the effects on polymer thermal degradation of its processing conditions (residence time, temperature, pressure) and the local environment (the presence of oxygen, water, additives, crystal domains, or impurities). We studied two model systems, polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE). From both simulations  and experiments, the processing conditions including temperature and the residence time during the melt processing phase of extrusion were identified to be critical factors. Both PP and PE were observed to have has their own mechanisms for thermal degradation. Other interesting observations from both the simulations and the experiments will also be discussed.

Investigations of the factors that trigger thermal degradation during the processing of polymers

248th National Meeting (2014)

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