Degradation of poly(ethylene oxide) by high‐speed stirring

Degradation of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) by violent stirring was studied in various solvents. The chain scission or the limit of the degradation was measured, and the effects of solvents, polymer concentration, stirring speed and degree of polymerization (DP) were investigated. It was found that the number of bonds broken per polymer chain was independent of the concentration but increased with the stirring speed and with decrease in the DP. The rate was much affected by the solvent used, being larger in a poor solvent. It was also found that the rate could be represented either by Jellinek's or Ovenall's rate equations, which have been applied to the ultrasonic degradation of polymers in solution.