Abstract
The photooxidation of a nonwoven polyethylene fabric was investigated using Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy. The infrared spectroscopic data indicated that hydroperoxide, alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, carboxylic acid, and anhydride groups were formed as the products of the photooxidation of the polyethylene fabric and that the relative amount of carboxyl among all carbonyls increased as the photooxidation progressed. The distribution of the photooxidation products was inhomogeneous between the two surfaces of the fabric. The highest degree of photooxidation occurred on the surface of the fabric facing the UV radiation source, whereas the lowest degree of photooxidation was on the back surface of the fabric. We also found that the polyethylene nonwoven fabric showed a slower photooxidation rate than the polypropylene nonwoven fabric. The UV radiation at 254 nm caused photooxidation of polyethylene. No photooxidation was observed in the fabric exposed to the UV radiation at 350 nm under the same conditions.
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Martin, L.K., Yang, C.Q. Infrared spectroscopy studies of the photooxidation of a polyethylene nonwoven fabric. J Environ Polym Degr 2, 153–160 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02074783
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02074783