Thermal stability of polyethylene terephthalate

Abstract The kinetics of thermal and thermal‐oxidative degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have been investigated as a function of melt temperature, melt residence time, melt environment, and drying environment. Rates of thermal and thermal‐oxidative degradation were measured in terms of: weight loss of volatile degradation products, decreasing inherent viscosity, and increasing carboxyl end group concentration. Thermal‐oxidative degradation was also investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Calorimetric results show that thermal‐oxidative degradation of PET is an exothermic reaction, with an apparent activation energy of 117 kJ/mol. Melt temperature, melt residence time, melt environment, and drying environment have all been found to affect the degradation of PET. Analysis of inherent‐viscosity kinetic data has been carried out, utilizing existing theories based on a random chain scission mechanism. Activation energies of 117 and 159 kJ/mol have been calculated for air‐dried and vacuum dried samples respectively.