Thermal degradation of polymers described

A new Rapra book summarises recent developments in the study of the thermal degradation of polymers.

A new Rapra book summarises recent developments in the study of the thermal degradation of polymers.

Thermal degradation of polymeric materials is an important issue from both the academic and the industrial viewpoints.

Understanding the thermal degradation of polymers is of paramount importance for developing a rational technology of polymer processing and higher-temperature applications.

Controlling degradation requires understanding of many different phenomena, including chemical mechanisms, the influence of polymer morphology, the complexities of oxidation chemistry, and the effects of stabilisers, fillers and other additives.

"Thermal degradation of polymeric materials" offers a wealth of information for polymer researchers and processors requiring an understanding of the implications of thermal degradation on material and product performance.

The authors present an overview of thermal degradation mechanisms and kinetics as well as describing the use of thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry, in combination with mass spectroscopy and infrared spectrometry, to investigate thermal decomposition.

These methods have proved useful for defining suitable processing conditions for polymers as well as useful service guidelines for their application.

They go on to discuss the thermal degradation of various polymers, copolymers, high-performance plastics, blends and composites, including polyolefins, styrene polymers, polyvinyl chloride, polyamides, polyurethanes, polyesters, polyacrylates and others.

This book is written by Krzysztof Pielichowski and James Njuguna.

Krzysztof Pielichowski is currently Associate Professor of Polymer Science at the Cracow University of Technology.

He has written over 80 articles and was awarded the Foundation for Polish Science fellowship in 1996 and the Fulbright fellowship in 2003.

James Njuguna is a PhD student at the City University of London.

He was a Marie Curie Fellow at the Cracow University of Technology in 2003/2004, performing research in the area of polymeric nanocomposites.

"Thermal degradation of polymeric materials" retails at GBP 80/US $144/Eur 128 (plus postage and packaging) and is available from Rapra Technology.

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