Thermal degradation of fluorine‐containing polymers. PART II. Degradation in oxygen

The thermal degradation in oxygen of a number of fluorine‐containing polymers has been studied by using a weight loss technique. The relative thermal stabilities of the different polymers have been determined and, where possible, the overall activation energy and frequency factors for their breakdown. The results have been compared with those for samples of the same polymers degraded in vacuum. There is little change in the relative thermal stabilities observed under both conditions, the fully fluorinated structures being the most stable. The changes in the rates of breakdown in the presence of oxygen are difficult to interpret in the absence of mechanistic information.