Synthesized and Designed New Modified Poly(vinyl chloride) Structures to Enhance Their Photo-Resistance Characteristics

Abstract

We synthesized and designed four new modified poly(vinyl chloride) structures to develop various polymer derivatives to enhance their photo-stability. Commercially available poly(vinyl chloride) was synthetically modified into a polymer containing aromatic Schiff base moieties. First, the PVC polymer was reacted with ethylene diamine from one side by using an equivalent of extra ethylene diamine to increase the probability of preventing cross-linking versus a two-sided reaction. In the second step, the corresponding aldehydes were reacted with an amino group to create the Schiff base new molecules. Different approaches were applied to confirm the structures of synthesized modified polymers such as FTIR, 1H NMR, and EDX. Using these methods, the structures and the percentage of modification for the studied materials were demonstrated. The percentage of modification exhibited between 30–35% using integration in the 1H NMR spectra and EDX analytical composition percentage of elements. In order to lessen the photo-degradation of the PVC polymeric chains, synthetic compounds have been employed as photo-stabilizers of the PVC films. In order to assess the effectiveness of modified PVC as a photo-stabilizer, a variety of techniques were used, including the weight loss method and monitoring the development of different functional groups while being exposed to radiation using FTIR spectra. Utilizing atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and microscope pictures, the surface morphology of produced polymers was also investigated. These experiments demonstrated that novel modified Schiff base polymers perform as excellent photo-stabilizers in comparison to pure PVC. As a result, after being exposed to UV light for 300 h, PVC films exhibit less photo-degradation than blank PVC, so that light in the UV range may be absorbed by the connected units’ high conjugation mechanism.