Calculation of activation energy from fraction of bonds broken for thermal degradation of polyethylene

Zhiming Gao*, Iwao Amasaki, Tsuyoshi Kaneko, Masahiro Nakada

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The fraction of bonds broken in thermal degradation of polyethylene was estimated. Activation energy of the degradation was then calculated from the fraction of bonds broken. It was found that the activation energy thus obtained is close to the values for β C-C bond scissions and β C-H bond scissions of hydrocarbon radicals. β C-H bond scission of radicals is proposed as part of the mechanism of thermal degradation of polyethylene, which provides an understanding of detail of hydrogen transfer in the polymer melt and provides a route for hydrogen gas formation in pyrolysis of polyethylene.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)125-130
Number of pages6
JournalPolymer Degradation and Stability
Volume81
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2003
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Activation energy
  • Beta scission
  • Boiling point
  • Fraction of bonds broken
  • Polyethylene

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