Thermooxidative degradation of an unsaturated polyester resin - The effect of oxygen pressure on the kinetics

The results of non-isothermal kinetic analysis of the thermooxidative degradation in air and oxygen of an unsaturated polyester resin are presented. It has been shown that the thermooxidative degradation in oxygen occurs at lower temperatures than the thermooxidative degradation in air. The kinetic parameters of the thermooxidative degradation depend on the heating rate and the oxygen pressure. Two straight lines of InA vs. E (A is the preexponential factor and E is the activation energy), characteristic for the compensation effect, have been obtained for the thermooxidative degradation in air and in oxygen respectively. The difference between the intercepts of these straight lines can be explained by dependence of the pre-exponential factor on the oxygen pressure.