SEM analysis of the tunable honeycomb structure of irradiated poly(vinyl chloride) films doped with polyphosphate

Mohammad Hayal Alotaibi,Gamal A El-Hiti,Hassan Hashim,Ayad S Hameed,Dina S Ahmed,Emad Yousif

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e01013

Mohammad Hayal Alotaibi, Gamal A El-Hiti + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e01013

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Abstract

The fabrication of tunable poly(vinyl chloride) porous films containing polyphosphate as an additive was successful. Irradiation of poly(vinyl chloride) films containing polyphosphate at a low concentration (0.5% by weight) with an ultraviolet light (λmax = 313 nm) for 300 h leads to the formation of a honeycomb like structure. The scanning electron microscopy images, at different magnification power, confirmed the production of the PVC honeycomb-like structure. The morphological images of the polymeric film showed a rough surface and a large number of regularly distributed hexagonal pores. The number of pores increased upon irradiation time and it was maximum after 300 h. The honeycomb structure formation could be due to the regular aggregation of polyphosphate among the polymeric chains, the increase in solution intrinsic viscosity and evaluation of hydrogen chloride gas through dehydrochlorination process.

Highlights

Honeycomb-like materials have light weight, strength, and tailorable mechanical performances [1, 2]
We report the successful production of a well-ordered porous Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) honeycomb-like structure, using tetrahydrofuran (THF) as the solvent, while employing the casting method upon irradiation with ultraviolet light (UV) for a long period
The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images recorded after irradiation (300 h) showed a damaged within the PVC surface and formation of many cracks (Fig. 3) as a result of photodegradation of polymeric chain

Summary

Introduction

Honeycomb-like materials have light weight, strength, and tailorable mechanical performances [1, 2] They can be used as core materials in various applications, ranging from low-cost doors to advanced aerospace structures, as sandwich panels. PVC dehydrochlorination commonly takes place as a result of structural defects (e.g. allylic chlorine, tertiary chlorine) within the polymeric chains [21, 22, 23] Such processes cause the PVC to blacken at high temperature (100e200 C) due to the physical and chemical changes within the polymeric materials [24]. We report the successful production of a well-ordered porous PVC honeycomb-like structure, using tetrahydrofuran (THF) as the solvent, while employing the casting method upon irradiation with ultraviolet light (UV) for a long period. The casting method is a simple and good technique to produce homogeneous films with a high surface area

Experimental

Results and discussion

Conclusion