Interaction of Nitrogen Dioxide with Poly-p-Phenylene Terephthalamide (Terlon)

The study of the properties of polymer fibers is an urgent and important task for the creation of new, promising materials and modification of their properties under operating conditions. Using the methods of EPR and IR spectroscopy, thermoanalytical methods, and scanning electron microscopy, a comprehensive study of low-temperature oxidation in the air of poly- p -phenylene terephthalamide (terlon), previously nitrated with nitrogen oxides, and the mechanism of this process is presented. The phenylnitrite fragments of macromolecules formed during nitration are identified as an oxidation initiator. The polymer is destroyed as a result of the decomposition of N-nitrosoamides, N-nitro compounds, and N-nitrites: the products of terlon nitration. The main products of terlon nitration, esters and carboxylic acids, are determined by IR spectroscopy.