Thermal stability of filler-based ethylene/vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol terpolymer in nitroplasticizer oxidative environment

To study the thermal stability of ethylene/vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol (EVA-OH) composite with filler particles, systematic thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) investigation was conducted in both nonisothermal and isothermal modes. The effect of polymer concentration on the aging behavior of EVA-OH was investigated in the nitroplasticizer (NP) environment. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to probe chemical structural changes in the EVA-OH polymer before and after thermal aging. The results suggest that filler addition accelerates the rate of NP exudation out of the EVA-OH composites and deteriorates the thermal stability of NP at moderate temperatures (up to 70 degrees C). The degradation of NP, in turn, accelerates the degradation of EVA-OH polymer in its composite form through oxidation and hydrolysis indicating the importance of antioxidants in such phase blends.