Chemical Kinetic Analysis on Thermal Decomposition of a Flammable Solid Decomposing through Multiple 1st Order Reactions

Abstract

Thermogravimetry is a popular analytical method for investigating thermal decomposition mechanism of solid material. From data obtained by thermogravimetry, the activation energy and the frequency factor of decomposition reaction can be derived easily if the material is decomposed through a single reaction. However, it becomes harder when several reactions occur when the material decomposes.
In this study, we chose PMMA as a sample solid, which decomposes thermally through four elementary steps. The analytical method to derive the activation energy, the frequency factor, and the decomposition fraction of each elementary step was discussed.