Handbook of Polymer Degradation

Second Edition
edited by S. Halim Hamid

This eminently practical reference covers recent advances in polymer degradation and stabilization!

Focusing on the basics of photo- and biodegradability, as well as environmental issues engendered by increased use of polymers in many industries, the Second Edition of this handbook exhaustively examines the lifecycle of polymers from the most current theoretical and practical perspectives.

Handbook of Polymer Degradation delineates special and general environmental parameters such as solar irradiation, temperature, and agrochemical exposure. Written by over 30 celebrated international experts, this reference:

• Illuminates new studies on the behaviors of chain-breaking, phenolic, and hydroperoxide-decomposing antioxidants and antiozonants
• Showcases the latest applications of monofunctional and bifunctional stabilizers with an optimized molecular architecture and reduced side effects
• Highlights new findings about hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS) and ultraviolet light absorbers (UVA)
• Describes photodegradation by photooxidation, proton-transfer, and other modern processes
• Reviews successful attempts to enhance fracture toughness (K1C) and reduce fracture energy (G1C)
• Assesses current biodeterioration routes in low-density polyethylene (LDPE), monolayer, multilayer, and infrared (IR) barrier (thermic) films
• Reveals the contemporary results of light-induced damage in polymers and the conversion from action to activation spectrum
• Analyzes novel processes of chemiluminescence (CL) imaging
• And much more!

Containing over 2,500 references, tables, structures, equations, and drawings, the Handbook of Polymer Degradation 2nd Edition provides a wealth of up-to-date information for environmental, health, and materials scientists; polymer, plastics, and chemical engineers; and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines.

Contents

1. Additives and Stabilizers in Polymers
   1. Polyolefin Stabilization: From Single Stabilizers to Complex Systems
   2. Greenhouse Film Stabilization
   3. Phosphite Stabilizers for Polymers: Performance and Action Mechanisms
   4. Polymer-Processing Additives
   5. Permanence of UV Absorbers in Plastics and Coatings
   6. Highlights in the Inherent Chemical Activity of Polymer Stabilizers

2. Mechanism of Polymer Degradation and Stabilization
   7. Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Oxidation of Polypropylene
   8. New Mechanisms of Polymer Degradation

3. Controlled Degradation and Stabilization
   9. Polymer Oxidation and Antioxidant Action
   10. Biodegradation of Polymers in Historical Perspective Versus Modern Polymer Chemistry
   11. Assessment of Biodegradability in Organic Polymers
   12. Environmental Degradation of Polymers
   13. Medical Polymers and Diagnostic Reagents
   14. Drug Release from Polymers: Quantitative Approach

4. Wavelength Sensitivity of Polymers
   15. Wavelength Sensitivity of Photodegradation of Polymers
   16. Activation Spectra of Polymers and Their Application to Stabilization and Stability Testing
   17. Accelerated Weathering Test Design and Data Analysis
   18. Fundamental and Technical Aspects of the Photooxidation of Polymers
   19. Lifetime Prediction of Plastics
   20. Kinetic Modeling of Low-Temperature Oxidation of Hydrocarbon Polymers

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