TABLE OF CONTENTS The identification of polymers is frequently based on a comparison of glass transition or melting temperature, with literature values (Table 6.1).
| Polymer | Abbreviation | T g, C | T m, C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polybutadiene | -86 | (-20) | |
| Polyisobutylene | PIB | -73 | (44) |
| Polyethylene vinyl acetate copolymer | EVA | -20..20 | 40.100 |
| Polyethylene, low density | LDPE | (-100) | 120 |
| Polybutene | PB | 130 | |
| Polyethylene, high density | HDPE | (-70) | 135 |
| Polyoxymethylene copolymer | POM | 164..168 | |
| Polypropylene | PP | (-30) | 165 |
| Polyvinyl chloride soft | PVC w | -40..10 | |
| Polyvinylidene chloride | PVDC | -17 | |
| Polyoxymethylene | POM | 175..180 | |
| Polyvinylidene fluoride | PDF2 | 178 | |
| Polyamide 11 | PA11 | 186 | |
| Polyvinyl acetate | PVAC | 30 | |
| Polyvinyl chloride | PVC | 85 | (190) |
| Polybutylene terephthalate | PBTB | 65 | 220 |
| Polyamide 6 | PA6 | (40) | 220 |
| Polyamide 6,10 | PA6,10 | (46) | 226 |
| Polyvinyl alcohol | PVA | 85 | |
| Polystyrene | PS | 90..100 | |
| Polymethyl methacrylate | PMMA | 105 | |
| Epoxy resin | EP | 50..150 | |
| Polyphenylene oxide | PPO | 230 | |
| Polycarbonate | PC | 155 | (235) |
| Source: Author's own files |
Very often thermogravimetric curves are characteristic for particular polymers and can therefore be used for their identification. Because of the poor heat conductivity, temperature gradients occur within samples at high heating rates. To obtain reproducible results, a standardisation of heating rate should be used, e.g., 10 C/min, when comparing an unknown polymer with a set of reference polymers.
Other thermal analysis techniques have been used to...
