Glossary of Terms relating to Thermal and Thermo-mechanical Properties of Polymers

This document gives definitions of terms related to the thermal and thermomechanical properties of polymers prior to thermal decomposition.

The terms which have been selected are those met in the conventional thermal, thermomechanical characterization of polymeric materials. The terms are arranged in alphabetical order and cover definitions of relevant terms from physical chemistry, polymer science, and experimental techniques. The document considers earlier reports related to the terminology of thermal analysis, e.g. those published by the International Confederation for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (ICTAC). IUPAC Recommendations covered by the Compendium of Chemical Terminology, the so-called ‘Gold Book’, and the 2nd edition of the Compendium of Polymer Nomenclature and Terminology, the so-called ‘Purple Book’, were followed as far as possible. Other publications consulted include Standards such as ISO and ASTM Standards. In particular the recently (2011) published document ‘Definition of Terms Relating to Crystalline Polymers’ [Pure and Appl. Chem. 83, 1831 (2011)], a revision of a superseded IUPAC recommendation published under the same title in 1989 has necessitated modifications of some older definitions.