This study reports the results of the investigation on photo-oxidative degradation of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in the presence of nonmetallic and metallic photoinitiators. In this regard, a mixture of cobalt stearate along with diphenyl carbonate (DPC) and its derivatives were added to LDPE and photo-degradation behaviors of LDPE films containing nonmetallic pro-oxidant (DPC and its derivatives) and cobalt stearate were investigated under ultraviolet (UV)-A radiation. The derivatives of DPC (4,4 0-dichloro DPC, 4,4 0-dinitro DPC, 4,4 0-dihydroxy DPC, and 4,4 0-dimethoxy DPC) were synthesized using the substitution reaction of phenol and DPC in aqueous phase. LDPE films of 70 + 7 mm in thickness containing varying amounts of pro-oxidant (0.1, 0.3, 0.5 wt%) were prepared in an extruder by film blowing process. LDPE films with and without pro-oxidant were subjected to the UV-A exposure at 27 C for extended time periods. The physical and chemical changes induced by UV exposure have been monitored by various techniques like Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, density and viscosity measurements, tensile, and gravimetric analysis. The changes in carbonyl index (CI), molecular weight, and mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break) showed that the incorporation of a combination of metallic/nonmetallic photoinitiators was highly effective in accelerating the photo-degradation of LDPE films and pro-oxidants had a higher degradation rate compare to blank samples. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the best performance was observed for 4,4 0-dinitro DPC (0.5 wt%) with a CI and number of chain scission (CS) of 21.24 and 2.25, respectively, after
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.