Kinetic Investigation of Photocatalytic Effects on Poly(vinyl butyral) Photodegradation

Abstract

Kinetic effects of UV irradiation on poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB)/nano-TiO 2 films were studied under different operating conditions at room temperature. Samples of the films were illuminated for different times in a UV chamber. The residual properties of the films before and after the UV exposure were analyzed to evaluate the photocatalytic effects. Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) was used to determine the residual quantities of the samples left after the exposure with different periods of time, while the carbonaceous residues were analyzed by element analysis (EA) to estimate the carbon content. The kinetic parameter of the photocatalytic reaction was determined from the residual mass of the treated samples. Results show that PVB was photodegraded according to the analytical data of the residual mass, chemical structures, and surface images of the films. TiO 2 composition of the samples is the most influential factor to affect the photodegradation rate. In addition, the irradiation distance or light intensity, type of substrate, and film thickness were also factors that influenced the degradation rate.

Photodegradation of Polymer Materials Used for Film Coatings of Controlled‐Release Fertilizers

“…Moreover, biodegradable materials demand more stringent storage conditions [13,14]. The photochemical activities of polymers can be increased by the addition of photocatalysts [15][16][17]. Shang et al [15] incorporated TiO 2 nanoparticles into polystyrene (PS) plastics and achieved a 22.5 % weight loss under 150 h of ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, whereas without the addition of TiO 2 nanoparticles, the weight loss was only 12.0 %.…”

Photocatalytic Lithography Processing via Poly(vinyl butyral)/TiO2 Photoresists by Ultraviolet (UV) Exposure

“…Therefore, the thermal removal of PVB cannot be applied to the pattern formation. Photocatalysis technology was an alternative approach to eliminate PVB in the PVB/TiO 2 composites in our previous study . Different compositions of PVB mixed with nano-TiO 2 were verified to be degraded and removed by UV exposure at room temperature.…”

“…Photocatalysis technology was an alternative approach to eliminate PVB in the PVB/TiO 2 composites in our previous study. 7 Different compositions of PVB mixed with nano-TiO 2 were verified to be degraded and removed by UV exposure at room temperature. An exposed region in a PVB/TiO 2 layer designed using a photomask placed between the layer and the UV light source can be UV-irradiated locally.…”