Pyrolysis mass spectrometry analysis of poly(vinyl acetate), poly(methyl methacrylate) and their blend coalesced from inclusion compounds formed with γ-cyclodextrin

Direct insertion probe pyrolysis mass spectrometry (DIP-MS) analyses of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and binary PMMA/PVAc guests, coalesced from their inclusion compounds (ICs) formed with host γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) through removal of the γ-CD host, have been performed. A slight increase in the thermal stabilities of the coalesced polymers were recorded both by TGA and DIP-MS compared to the corresponding as-received polymers. The DIP-MS observations pointed out that the thermal stability and degradation products of these polymers are affected once they are included inside the IC channels created by the stacked host γ-CDs. DIP-MS observations suggested that the degradation mechanisms for PMMA and PVAc chains in their coalesced blend were significantly altered from those observed in their as-received and solution blended samples. This was attributed to the presence of specific molecular interactions between the intimately mixed PMMA and PVAc chains in their coalesced blend.