Photo‐Degradation of a Biopolyester Blend under UV‐C Rays

Abstract

Biopolyesters, pure and mixed with a compatibilizer, are exposed to UV-C radiation in the interval 4-32 h. UV-C rays act as germicides and antibacterial on biomedical materials. The mechanical and physical characterization tests have shown how all the materials, pure and mixed, undergo UV-C photodegradation even if in a different way. The change in the structural order of the polymer, the embrittlement, and the change in the surface wettability of the water/blood is lower in the blend than in pure polymers. This is thanks to the cross-linked structure of the mixture, which is more thermally stable, mechanically resistant, and more hydrophobic than the individual components.

Mechanical and Physical Changes in Bio-Polybutylene-Succinate Induced by UVC Ray Photodegradation

“…Dog-boneshape samples, with a thickness of 1 mm, were exposed in a black chamber to UVC rays (UVP lamp mod. UVG-54 handheld, 254 nm, 230 V/6 W, 2200 µW at 7.62 cm, LLC, Upland, CA, USA) for 2-4-8-16-24 h (Figures 1c and 2a,b) at room temperature of 25 • C and relative humidity (RH) of 21% [21,36]. The distance from the lamp to the samples was 15 cm and was kept constant during all treatments.…”

“…On the contrary, an aspect which has not yet been widely studied in the literature is its stability against UV rays. The effects of photoaging and photodegradation represent an important problem for the life of polymers, both for outdoor applications as mentioned above and for sterilization processes [21][22][23].…”