Fundamental Aspects of the Photooxidation of Hydrocarbon Polymers

Abstract Hydrocarbon polymers (polyolefins, polystyrene and many saturated and unsaturated rubbers) make up the largest group of synthetic polymers. They all degrade more or less rapidly on exposure to sunlight, though they should not absorb in the solar uv range (290–400 nm) if they are perfectly pure. This makes a clear understanding of their mechanism of degradation important not only from a practical but also from a fundamental point of view. We try to answer some fundamental questions such as the following. How is the photooxidation initiated? What is the exact mechanism of the reaction? How do chain scission and cross-linking proceed?