Mechanisms of thermal decomposition in totally aromatic polyurethanes

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Abstract
The primary fragmentation mechanisms in the thermal decomposition of polyurethanes were studied in detail by direct pyrolysis into the mass spectrometer. The remarkable difference in the thermal stability of the two totally aromatic polyurethanes I and II (Fig. 1) reflects their different decomposition pathways. In fact, polymer I undergoes a depolycondensation process that yields diiscyanate and dialcohol as primary thermal fragments. The thermal decomposition of polymer II proceeds instead via the formation of a cyclic compound that has been isolated and characterized. In contrast, open‐chain fragments are generated in the thermal decomposition of the partially aliphatic polymer III.