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The thermal oxidative degradation of an ethylene–tetrafluoroethylene‐copolymer‐based electrical wire insulation
Author(s) -
Morelli John J.,
Fry Charles G.,
Grayson Michael A.,
Lind Arthur C.,
Wolf Clarence J.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1991.070430322
Subject(s) - etfe , tetrafluoroethylene , copolymer , materials science , antimony oxide , polymer chemistry , scavenger , ethylene oxide , degradation (telecommunications) , fire retardant , oxide , chemical engineering , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , radical , polymer , metallurgy , telecommunications , layer (electronics) , computer science , engineering
A multidisciplinary spectroscopic evaluation of a commercial wire insulation based on a cross‐linked copolymer of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene (X‐ETFE) was conducted to determine the chemical changes taking place during thermal aging. These studies provided insight into the roles of the various additives, such as triallylisocyanurate (TAIC) and antimony oxide, in the formulated X‐ETFE insulation. During irradiation processing, a large fraction of the TAIC is converted to a cross‐linked isocyanurate moiety; the unconverted TAIC is released during aging. Thermal aging of the X‐ETFE wire insulations was performed in air at 200°C for up to 5 months and resulted in oxidation of the base ETFE, loss of unreacted TAIC, and a small amount of dehydrofluorination. The antimony oxide serves the multiple roles of flame retardant and scavenger for the pyrolytically generated hydrogen fluoride.