Thermal Degradation Kinetics of Nylon 66: Experimental Study and Comparison with Model Predictions

An experimental investigation of nonoxidative thermal degradation kinetics of nylon 66 melt under high temperature (280–300 °C) and low water content (0.02–0.14 wt.‐%) conditions is presented. Experimental data for the time evolution of polymer end‐group concentrations and degradation‐product generation rates were compared with the predictions of the only published kinetic model. The omitted influence of water content is a plausible partial explanation for the considerable discrepancy between model predictions and some data. Several previously unreported or unquantified degradation products were identified and measured. Potential additional reactions to account for these results in future kinetic models are proposed. magnified image