Progress in Polymer Degradation & Stability Research

Polymer degradation is a change in the properties -- tensile strength, colour, shape, etc -- of a polymer or polymer based product under the influence of one or more environmental factors such as heat, light or chemicals. These changes may be undesirable, such as changes during use, or desirable, as in biodegradation or deliberately lowering the molecular weight of a polymer. Such changes occur primarily because of the effect of these factors on the chemical composition of the polymer. In a finished product such a change is to be prevented or delayed. However, the degradation process can be useful from the view points of understanding the structure of a polymer or recycling/reusing the polymer waste to prevent or reduce environmental pollution. Polymers molecules are very large on the molecular scale which derive their unique and useful properties from their size.

Polymer degradation is a change in the properties of a polymer or polymer based product under the influence of one or more environmental factors such as heat, light or chemicals. This book presents research in this field.

Preface; Hydrolysis of Polyesters and Polycarbonates; Characterization of Recycling Induced Degradation Based on Fracture Mechanics Approach; Recent Trends in Flame Retardancy of Polyurethane Foams; Thermal Diffusion of Polymer Fragments in Melt and its Effect on Kinetics Parameters of Polymer Degradation; Influence of Thermomechanical Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Weather Resistant Steel; N-H or C-H Bonds Cleavage in N-Phenyl-N-Alkyl-P-Phenylenediamine Antioxidants?; Influence of Epoxy-Amine Ratio on Degradation of Epoxy-Silica Hybrid Materials; The Use of Waste from a Catalytic Process as a Synergistic Agent in Flame Retardant Formulations: Mechanistic Studies; An Integral Study of Post-Processing Thermal Stability of Plasticized Poly (Vinyl Chloride) Compounds; Post-Consumed Pet and HDPE Bottles as Feedstock Materials for Composites: Characterization and Engineering Applications; Modelling of Dynamical-Mechanical Properties of Vinylester and Unsaturated Polyester with Glass Fibre Reinforced Composites; Thermal Degradation Behavior of Polyamide 6/Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composites; Index.