{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T19:55:42Z","timestamp":1792180542994,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,28]],"date-time":"2024-11-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1732752000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Covestro Deutschland AG"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Polyurethane (PUR) soft foams release malodorous and potentially toxic compounds when exposed to oxidative conditions. Current chamber test methods cannot distinguish between pre-existing volatiles and those formed during oxidation, nor can they assess the formation rates of oxidation products. We subjected PUR soft foam to oxidative treatment in a continuous air flow at 120 \u00b0C. Emissions were convectively transferred from the foam to an exhaust port and analyzed using a thermodesorption\u2013gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) system, with external calibration employed for the quantification of selected analytes. The study identified hydroperoxide formation and degradation as key mechanisms in the breakdown of the polyether soft segments. This process predominantly produces volatiles, such as carboxylic acids, formates, acetates, alpha-hydroxy-ketones, (unsaturated) aldehydes, substituted dioxolanes and dioxanes, glycols, and allyl ethers. Volatiles associated with the degradation of the hard segments include aniline, benzoxazole, 2-methylbenzoxazole, and benzaldehyde. This experimental setup enables reproducible qualitative and quantitative analysis of volatiles formed during the oxidative degradation of PUR soft foams, providing new insights into the segment-dependent chemical pathways of the polymer\u2019s molecular breakdown.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym16233342","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,28]],"date-time":"2024-11-28T07:28:01Z","timestamp":1732778881000},"page":"3342","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["The Thermo-Oxidative Degradation of Polyurethane Open-Cell Soft Foam Investigated Through Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry of Volatile Organic Compounds"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9984-8217","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christian Stefan","family":"Sandten","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Muenster, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Martin","family":"Kreyenschmidt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Muenster, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3715-2692","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rolf","family":"Albach","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Covestro Deutschland AG, 51373 Leverkusen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ursula E. A.","family":"Fittschen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Inorganic and Analytic Chemistry, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Oertel, G. (1993). Polyurethane: Kunststoff Handbuch 7, Hanser. [3rd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Ionescu, M. (2016). Chemistry and Technology of Polyols for Polyurethanes, A Smithers Group Company. [2nd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ashida, K. (2007). Polyurethane and Related Foams: Chemistry and Technology, CRC\/Taylor & Francis.","DOI":"10.1201\/9780203505991"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Defonseka, C. (2019). 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