Effect of Hydrophobic Modification on Polymer Decomposition and Weight Loss

The weight loss of the hydrophobically modified polymer material was comparatively lower than that of PAM, exhibiting a declining trend as the alkyl chain length increased. This can be attributed to the following factors: 1. The incorporation of hydrophobic monomers into the polymer impeded molecular chain movement at elevated temperatures, thereby delaying decomposition to some extent. 2. The hydrophobic monomers decelerated the polymer decomposition process and elevated the decomposition temperature. 3. Nevertheless, the hydrophobic monomers did not significantly diminish the weight loss of the polymer material. This is also responsible for the accelerated rate of weight loss of the hydrophobically modified polymer at temperatures surpassing 420ﾰC during the third stage.