Thermal Degradation of Poly(Dimethyl Itaconate)

This article investigates the thermal degradation behaviour of poly(dimethyl itaconate), performed by TG and other degradation procedures, in order to establish the kinetics of the reaction and the probable mechanism of thermal degradation. From TG curves and from GC-MS observations, the occurrence of a dezipping reaction, producing predominantly monomer, was observed, preceded by carbon-carbon bond scissions in the lateral substituents. The results are compared with those known from the literature for the structurally similar poly(methyl methacrylate)