Photo-oxidation of polymers

<p>In <a href="/facts/Polymer_chemistry/wdfr6fs4">polymer chemistry</a>, photo-oxidation (sometimes: oxidative <a href="/facts/Photodegradation/Xl0D6pej">photodegradation</a>) is the <a href="/facts/Polymer_degradation/AMv6yVkK">degradation of a polymer</a> surface due to the combined action of light and oxygen. It is the most significant factor in the weathering of plastics. Photo-oxidation causes the polymer chains to break (<a href="/facts/Chain_scission/l7dXcl6P">chain scission</a>), resulting in the material becoming increasingly brittle. This leads to <a href="/facts/Mechanical_failure/5aYoMIlw">mechanical failure</a> and, at an advanced stage, the formation of <a href="/facts/Microplastics/HzH0eKP5">microplastics</a>. In <a href="/facts/Textile/PJrVeM5S">textiles</a>, the process is called <a href="/facts/Phototendering/E31G3e8j">phototendering</a>.
</p><p>Technologies have been developed to both accelerate and inhibit this process. For example, plastic building components like doors, window frames and gutters are expected to last for decades, requiring the use of advanced UV-<a href="/facts/Polymer_stabilizers/vIDYnth0">polymer stabilizers</a>. Conversely, single-use plastics can be treated with <a href="/facts/Biodegradable_additives/3ldVp2yc">biodegradable additives</a> to accelerate their fragmentation.
Many <a href="/facts/Pigments/I3clCYkF">pigments</a> and <a href="/facts/Dyes/a1NSlcsG">dyes</a> can similarly have effects due to their ability to absorb UV-energy.
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Photo-oxidation of polymers open-in-new

Photo-oxidation of polymers