Oxyluminescence of polymers. I. General behavior of polymers

The faint emission of light by various classes and types of polymers when heated in the presence of oxygen, oxyluminescence, was studied by means of a photomultiplier tube and sensitive microammeter. Among the polymers with a carbon‐carbon backbone, the polymers having the greater number of tertiary carbon atoms generally showed greater intensities of luminosity. Polystyrene was a notable exception to this generalization. The shape of the luminosity versus time curves varied with the type of polymer. It was also found that the emission of light did not stop instantly when the oxygen atmosphere was replaced by an inert gas, but rather followed an exponential type of decay. The rate of decay appeared to be different with different types of polymers. The intensities of luminescence and the times required to reach maximum or steady state luminescence were compared with oxygen uptake data for various polymers. In general there was a qualitative, but not necessarily quantitative correlation between the luminous intensities and polymer stabilities in the presence of oxygen.