COMPARATIVE KINETICS STUDY OF THE THERMAL AND THERMO-OXIDATIVE DEGRADATION OF A POLYSTYRENE-CLAY NANOCOMPOZITE BY TGA AND DSC

Abstract

The methods of thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) have been used to study the thermal and thermo-oxidative degradation of polystyrene (PS) and a PS-clay nanocomposite. An advanced isoconversional method has been applied for kinertic analysis. Introduction of the clay phase increasers the activation energy and affects the total heat of degradation, which suggests a change in the reaction mechanism. The obtained kinetic data permit a comparative assessment of the fire resistance of the studied materials

Keywords

• differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)