Radical Degradation and Stabilisation Reactions of Solid Polymers

The thermal and oxidative thermal degradation of the majority of polymers occurs by radical mechanisms. Therefore the stabilisation of such polymers consists in the inhibition of the radical degradation processes. The aim of this review is to consider and analyse the kinetics and mechanisms of elementary radical degradation and stabilisation reactions in the solid phase, i.e. to examine the set of reactions which constitute the basis of the degradation and stabilisation processes.
Before analysing and interpreting the experimental data, it is necessary, firstly, to note the characteristic features of solid-phase radical reactions which distinguish them from reactions in gases and liquids and, secondly, to consider the general theoretical postulates concerning the kinetics of solid-phase reactions.
The bibliography includes 83 references.