Direct pyrolysis mass spectrometry of acrylonitrile-cellulose graft copolymer prepared by radiation-induced graft polymerization in presence of styrene as homopolymer suppressor
Sm. Badawy et al., Direct pyrolysis mass spectrometry of acrylonitrile-cellulose graft copolymer prepared by radiation-induced graft polymerization in presence of styrene as homopolymer suppressor, RADIAT PH C, 61(2), 2001, pp. 143-148
Graft polymerization of acrylonitrile onto cellulosic filter paper competin
g with the homopolymerization by mutual irradiation technique was studied i
n the presence of homopolymer suppressors. Addition of FeCl3 decreased both
homopolymerization and graft polymerization, whereas inclusion of a low ra
tio of styrene monomer with acrylonitrile leads to successful grafting of a
crylonitrile with little homopolymer formation. Chemical structure and ther
mal behavior of the produced graft copolymers were investigated by gradual
healing in the solid probe of a mass spectrometer equipped with a GCMS data
system. The resulting total ion current (TIC) showed that the degradation
of graft copolymers follows two-step pyrolysis. The presence of a low ratio
of styrene comonomer increased thermal stability of the prepared acrylonit
rile-cellulose graft copolymer, The pyrolysis products have mass spectra ch
aracteristic of the copolymer composition; they contain the repeating unit
of the oligomers. Total ion current and spectrum subtractions were used to
separate and measure spectra of graft copolymers at distinctly different te
mperatures. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.