Polymer degradation

Polymer degradation is the chemical or physical breakdown of polymer chains that changes a material’s properties, often reducing its strength, flexibility, or molecular weight.

Chain scission: The breaking of bonds in a polymer backbone, dividing long chains into shorter molecules. It directly lowers chain length and often weakens the material.
Polymer aging: The gradual change in a polymer’s properties during storage or use over time. It describes the accumulated effects of degradation during a material’s lifetime.
Polymer: A substance composed of large molecules built from repeating structural units. Degradation changes the molecular structure of these chain-based materials.
Polymer fragmentation: The physical division of polymer material into smaller pieces, which may leave its molecular chains largely intact. Fragmentation can increase particle count without chemically breaking polymer chains.
Polymer oxidation: A reaction in which oxygen or reactive oxygen species alter polymer chains, often causing scission or cross-linking. Oxidation is a major route by which heat, light, and oxygen damage polymers.
Biodegradable polymer: A polymer that microorganisms can break down into simpler substances under suitable environmental conditions. Its intended breakdown depends on polymer structure and the conditions microbes encounter.
Polymer chain: A macromolecule consisting of covalently connected repeating units. Its bonds and architecture determine which degradation pathways are possible.
Polymer dissolution: The dispersal of polymer molecules into a solvent without necessarily changing their covalent structure. Dissolving a polymer is not itself chain degradation.
Photodegradation: Material breakdown initiated or accelerated by absorption of light, especially ultraviolet radiation. Light can initiate chain reactions that split or modify polymer chains.
Compostable plastic: Plastic designed to biodegrade under specified composting conditions within defined limits. Composting is a controlled end-of-life setting for polymer breakdown.

Linked from 21 pages