Thermal degradation

Thermal degradation is the breakdown of chemical compounds caused by heat. It changes a material’s composition and can alter its properties or produce smaller molecules.

Thermal decomposition: A chemical reaction in which heat breaks a compound into simpler substances. It is the direct reaction pathway by which heating can break chemical bonds.
Chemical bond: An attractive interaction that holds atoms or ions together in a molecule or solid. Thermal degradation changes compounds by breaking or rearranging these interactions.
Thermal stability: A material’s ability to retain its chemical structure when exposed to heat. It describes resistance to the degradation process rather than the breakdown itself.
Photodegradation: Chemical breakdown caused by exposure to light, especially ultraviolet radiation. It is initiated by absorbed light rather than heat alone.
Pyrolysis: The thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen. It isolates heat-driven breakdown from oxidation by excluding oxygen.
Free radical: An atom or molecule containing an unpaired electron, often making it highly reactive. Radicals are common intermediates in heat-driven degradation of organic materials.
Thermal analysis: A group of methods that measure material properties as temperature changes. These methods characterize degradation temperatures and associated property changes.
Biodegradation: The breakdown of substances through the activity of living organisms or their enzymes. Biological activity, rather than heating, drives its principal breakdown pathways.
Arrhenius equation: An equation relating a reaction’s rate constant to temperature and activation energy. It describes why degradation rates often rise sharply as temperature increases.
Polymer: A substance composed of large molecules built from repeating structural units. Polymer chains can undergo scission, cross-linking, and other heat-induced changes.

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