Different approaches to the kinetic analysis of thermal degradation of poly(ethylene oxide)

Kinetic analysis of the non-isothermal degradation of poly(ethylene oxide) has been performed using isoconversional model-free methods, model-fitting methods, invariant kinetic parameters method and Netzsch Thermokinetics software in order to establish whether different kinetic approaches yield consistent kinetic parameters. It has been shown that these approaches yield consistent kinetic parameters and can be combined in such a way as to enhance the reliability and quality of each other and consequently the overall kinetic analysis. The most probable kinetic parameters for the non-isothermal degradation of poly(ethylene oxide) have been determined. These kinetic parameters have been used for prediction of isothermal kinetics of poly(ethylene oxide), and their potential for reliable prediction has been noticed.