Thermal decomposition kinetics of a coumarin based copolymer: poly(3-benzoyl coumarin-7-yl-methacrylate:0.54-co-methyl methacrylate:0.46)

In present study, thermal decomposition studies of a copolymer based the coumarin containing monomer 3-benzoyl coumarin-7-yl-methacrylate (BCMA) and methyl methacrylate [poly(BCMA: 0.54-co-MMA:0.46)] were performed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The temperature for maximum rate losses was increased from 384.81 degrees C to 407.45 degrees C with the increasing in heating rate from 5 degrees C/min to 20 degrees C/min. The thermal decomposition activation energies of copolymer in the conversion range of 9% - 21% were resulted to be 212.98 kJ/mol and 210.30 kJ/mol by Kissinger's and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa methods, respectively. The study of kinetic equations such as Coats-Redfern, Tang, Madhusudanan and Van-Krevelen methods exhibited that the thermal decomposition process of the studied copolymer was followed with a D3 mechanism, a three-dimensional diffusion type deceleration solid state mechanism, at the optimum heating rate of 20 degrees C/min.