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Non‐oxidative Thermal Degradation of Poly(glycidol), Poly(glycidol)‐g‐ L ‐lactide, and Poly(glycidol)‐g‐glycolide
Author(s) -
Atkinson Jeffrey L.,
Vyazovkin Sergey
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
macromolecular chemistry and physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.57
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1521-3935
pISSN - 1022-1352
DOI - 10.1002/macp.201100243
Subject(s) - glycidol , polymer chemistry , chemistry , degradation (telecommunications) , thermal stability , thermogravimetry , polymer , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , thermal decomposition , organic chemistry , chemical engineering , catalysis , telecommunications , computer science , engineering , inorganic chemistry
Three polymers of pharmaceutical/medical relevance are synthesized: poly(glycidol) (PG), poly(glycidol)‐g‐ L ‐lactide (PG‐g‐La), and poly(glycidol)‐g‐glycolide (PG‐g‐Gly). Because the thermal stability of these polymers is an essential factor of their processing and practical application, the study focuses on kinetic and mechanistic aspects of non‐oxidative thermal degradation. The study is conducted by combining thermogravimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and isoconversional kinetic analysis. It is found that PG degrades in a single mass loss step, whereas, PG‐g‐La and PG‐g‐Gly in two. It is demonstrated that the first step in degradation of PG‐g‐La and PG‐g‐Gly is associated with decomposition of the pendant groups and the second is due to degradation of the PG backbone.