Thermal Analysis of Metal-Containing Polymers: Generalizations

Abstract

The usual thermal techniques of thermal gravimetric analysis (TG), differential thermal analysis (DT), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal mechanical analysis (TM), torsional braid analysis (TB) and pyrolysis gas chromatography (PGC) have been utilized in describing the thermal properties of inorganic and organometallic polymers. Because of the variety of bonding energies present in many metal-containing polymers, "stability plateaus" occur where degradation followed by TG occurs through several somewhat distinct steps being seen as temperature ranges where little or no loss of weight occurs compared with similar temperature ranges where weight loss is more rapid. We have utilized this to advantage in evaluating thermal techniques since degradation pathways may be more clearly defined. Counter, the presence of low-lying filled and unfilled tf d ff -orbitals, present for most metals, permits a myriad of optional pathways for thermal activation followed by evolution, crosslinking and/or rearrangement to occur.Elements such as phosphorus, silicon, tin, germanium and sulfur form catenated polymers similar to carbon, but such catenation does not usually lead to (homo) chains greater than 0097-6156/ 83/0229-0025S06.00/0