Thermal degradation study of glycidyl methacrylate acrylonitrile copolymers

Thermal degradation of copolymers, prepared from glycidyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile in varying molar ratios using 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator, was studied by thermogravimetry, derivative thermogravimetry, differential thermal analysis and mass spectrometry. The fragmentation patterns in the mass-spectra were interpretable by comparison with the known degradation patterns of the related materials. Thermal kinetic parameters, including activation energies and order of reaction of the degradation of the prepared copolymers, were calculated from their thermoanalytical data. These parameters suggest an overall increase in thermal stability with increasing content of acrylonitrile in the copolymers.