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Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Molecular Beam Mass Spectrometry With Tunable Vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV) Synchrotron Radiation
Published on: October 30, 2012
A thermal decomposition study of polymers by tunable synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry
Jiao Li1, Jianghuai Cai, Tao Yuan
1National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230029, PR China.
Abstract:
The thermal decomposition of polymers (poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and polystyrene (PS)) has been studied with synchrotron VUV photoionization mass spectrometry at low pressure. Pyrolysis products formed at different temperatures have been identified by the measurement of photoionization mass spectra at different photon energies. The experimental results demonstrate the variation of the pyrolysis product pool of PVC at different temperatures, dividing the thermal decomposition process into two stages: the low-temperature stage to form HCl and benzene, and the high-temperature stage to form numerous large aromatic hydrocarbons. For the thermal decomposition of PS, four reaction categories are determined. This work reports a new application of synchrotron VUV photoionization mass spectrometry in the study of the thermal decomposition of polymers, and demonstrates its good performance in product analysis, which is expected to help understand the thermal decomposition mechanism of PVC, PS and other synthesized polymers.
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