XRD AND IR INVESTIGATIONS OF SOME COMMERCIAL POLYSTYRENE SAMPLES THERMALLY DEGRADED.

Thermal degradation of commercial polystyrene was investigated by XRD and FT-IR metods. The samples were heated 30 minutes at temperatures 140°C, 200°C, 250°C, 300°C and 350°C and then brought back to room temperature. XRD investigation denotes structural modification for samples heated above 200°C. This modification is confirmed by FT-IR measurments. Some vibration bands are affected by thermal degradation at temperatures higher than 200°C. Both FT-IR and XRD methods reveal modification of microscopic structure of the polystyrene submitted to thermal degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]