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Expandable styrene/methyl methacrylate copolymer: Synthesis and determination of VOCs by combined thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis‐gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
Author(s) -
Haddadi E.,
Mehravar E.,
Abbasi F.,
Jalili K.
Publication year - 2011
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.35513
Subject(s) - copolymer , thermogravimetry , styrene , methyl methacrylate , suspension polymerization , polystyrene , materials science , blowing agent , thermal decomposition , monomer , differential thermal analysis , polymerization , mass spectrometry , decomposition , gas chromatography , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , chemistry , chromatography , organic chemistry , composite material , polymer , physics , optics , diffraction , polyurethane , engineering
Parts cast of metals using expandable polystyrene foams may have an unacceptable amount of surface defects, such as lustrous carbon. The use of foams made of styrenic/acrylic copolymers can improve the quality of foam molds and metal parts made using such molds. Lost foam copolymer was synthesized by suspension copolymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate. The polymerization was carried out in the presence of blowing agents. The decomposition products of lost foam beads were studied by a method composed of the thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). With these systems, the TG/DTA data can be combined with a GC separation and MS identification methods. This combined method improves the analysis of the decomposition products of lost foam beads and enables the precise identification of the amount and the nature of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) trapped during suspension polymerization. The results obtained from the combined method were verified for the nature and amount of VOCs with the results of time‐conversion studies for copolymerization of monomers in the presence of different concentrations of blowing agent. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011