Thermal degradation, linear polymer compound

Upon heating, the linear polymer synthesized from a di-N-cyanourea compound was concluded to undergo a thermal degradation of the urea linkage, as shown in Equation 7. 

Poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) is a thermoplastic, linear, noncrystalline polyether commercially produced by the oxidative polymerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol in the presence of a copper-amine catalyst. PPO has become one of the most important engineering plastics widely used for a broad range of applications due to its unique combination of mechanical properties, low moisture absorption, excellent electrical insulation property, dimension stability and inherent flame resistance. This chapter describes the recent development of this polymer, particularly on the production, application, compounding, properties of its alloys and their general process conditions. The polymerization mechanism and thermal degradation pathways are reviewed and new potential applications driven by the increasing environmental concerns in battery industry, gas permeability and proton-conducting membranes are discussed. 

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