Thermal degradation of blends of PVC with polysiloxane - 1

Thermal degradation of blends of PVC with polydiphenylsiloxane (PDPS) and polydimethyldiphenylsiloxane (PDMDPS) has been studied by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) over the whole composition range. From the TG and DTA data, curves have been constructed to enable the experimental weight loss behavior to be compared with the component polymers. Activation energy and order of reactions were calculated for the blends and component polymers using TG data. The results show slight destabilization at low loading of PDPS and PDMDPS but for compositions with 50% or more PDMDPS and PDPS, both polymers are stabilized, particularly the PDMDPS blends which show much slower weight loss. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.