Pyrolysis of Copolymers Based on Alkyl Methacrylates with C₁-C₈ Alkyl Chain

The manuscript describes pyrolysis of copolymers based on selected alkyl methacrylates containing C₁-C₈ alkyl side chain at temperatures between 250 °C and 400 °C which was studied using pyrolysis-gas chromatography. The kind and composition of thermal degradation products gave practical information about the mechanism of pyrolysis of copolymers synthesized by using of typical commercially available alkyl methacrylates. It was observed that the main thermal degradation products from alkyl methacrylate copolymers are monomers, in this case alkyl methacrylates using by synthesis. Other pyrolysis by-products formed during thermal degradation were carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, ethane, methanol, ethanol and propanol-1.