Studying the photodecomposition rate constant and morphology properties of modified poly(vinyl chloride) with novel Schiff's bases

Abstract

AbstractThe photodegradation of a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film filled with Schiff bases in its structure was investigated and studied by comparing it with a blank PVC film. A PVC film containing novel Schiff's bases was synthesized and used as a photostabilizer for PVC. PVC was exposed to ultraviolet light and underwent harmful changes, where the photostabilization effect differed before and after filling aromatic Schiff bases within the structure. After 300 h of UV irradiation, the photodecomposition rate constants were calculated to identify the impact of Schiff bases on PVC films. In order to evaluate the impact of adding Schiff bases as photo‐stabilizers, the evolution of different functional groups during irradiation was monitored using FTIR spectra. Also, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were exploited to examine the surface morphology of produced polymers. These investigations showed that filling novel Schiff bases inside the polymers performed much better photostabilization than plain PVC. Hence, the photodecomposition rate constant, on the other hand, was calculated alongside the irradiation time.