Determining weathering-induced heterogeneous oxidation profiles of polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Weathering-induced polymer degradation is typically heterogeneous which plays an integral part in fragmentation. Despite that, the current selection of techniques to investigate such heterogeneities, especially beneath the sample surface, is sparse. We introduce Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemosphere (Oxford) 2023-12, Vol.343, p.140105-140105, Article 140105
Main Authors: Sommer, Caroline, Nguyen, Johnny, Menzel, Teresa, Ruckdäschel, Holger, Koch, Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amorphous polymers
Depth profile and surface analysis
Heterogeneous plastic degradation
Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
Semi-crystalline polymers
Weathered plastics
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Summary:Weathering-induced polymer degradation is typically heterogeneous which plays an integral part in fragmentation. Despite that, the current selection of techniques to investigate such heterogeneities, especially beneath the sample surface, is sparse. We introduce Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) as an analytical tool and evaluate its performance for depth profiling. Three types of polymers were selected (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) that were aged under controlled conditions. We demonstrate that LIBS can detect heterogeneous oxidation on the surface and inside the samples. The results reveal that different oxidation behaviors are linked to the sample's lattice structure and the subsequent formation of microcracks. This implies that LIBS is beneficial to give additional insights into the weathering and degradation behavior of environmentally relevant plastics. [Display omitted] •Heterogeneous plastic degradation is related to the plastic's lattice structure.•Degradation processes should be studied over the entire sample volume.•LIBS can conduct three-dimensional chemical mapping without exposing the cross-section.•PE, PP and PS samples have been studied for different weathering times.
ISSN:0045-6535
1879-1298
DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140105