The effect of five different metal oxides on the pyrolysis of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), polyacrylamide (PAM), and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was investigated using thermogravimetry. The presence of metal oxide did not influence the degradation of PEO while the order of metal oxide on the degradation rate of PAM and PVA was PbO > Co3O4 > CuO > ZnO > Al2O3. The miscibility and the decomposition of PEO-PAM and PVA-PAM blends were also investigated. The blends were found to be immiscible and the presence of one polymer did not influence the degradation of the other polymer in the polymer blend. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.