Temperature and atmosphere influences on smoke composition during thermal degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The less‐volatile compounds forming a smoke emitted during the thermal degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in different conditions were studied. Thermal degradation of PET was carried out within the temperature range of 200–700°C in both a nitrogen and an air atmosphere. The less‐volatile thermal degradation products were trapped on a glass‐fiber filter and analyzed by capillary gas chromatography with mass selective detector (GC‐MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results are collected in tables and presented on plots as a function of the degradation temperature. The temperature and atmosphere effects on the emission and composition of the smoke during PET thermal degradation were considered. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 3064–3068, 2001