Improvement of the photostability of isotactic polypropylene by the incorporation of ethylene

Abstract

AbstractThe effect of the incorporation of ethylene on the photostability of isotactic poly(propylene) (iPP) was studied with the aim of improving the photostability. iPP was prepared with a random ethylene sequence (ethylene–propylene random copolymer, rPP), and the photooxidative degradation behavior was compared with that of homogeneous iPP. Both samples were thermally post‐treated under vacuum to ensure the same crystallinity. The degradation behavior was studied by infrared spectroscopy (IR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF) measurements. The rates of hydroperoxide and carbonyl formation in the irradiated iPP increased with irradiation time for > 192 h, whereas those in the irradiated rPP are almost constant after 96 h. The change in molecular weight with the irradiation time showed similar behavior, suggesting that the degradation reaction in the irradiated rPP was suppressed after 96 h. The degradation behavior of rPP was thought to be due to the dissociation of the methyl group, which leads to the termination of degradation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 1863–1867, 2002