ABSTRACT Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer that is extensively utilized in a wide variety of industries for medical devices and electronics, such as OLEDs and solar cells. In spite of its wide range of applications, the stability of the polymer under UV exposure remains a significant issue that negatively affects its performance, especially in an outdoor environment. Recent studies revealed that PMMA suffers from significant loss of mechanical properties after UV light exposure because of chain scission and bond breaking. To address this issue, pure PMMA is blended with PMMA modified using 1,4‐phenylenediamine and one of the following photostabilizers: 2‐nitrobenzaldehyde, 4‐nitrobenzaldehyde, or 3,4‐dimethoxybenzaldehyde. The modified polymers were identified using FTIR, 1 H NMR, and energy‐dispersive X‐ray (EDX) spectroscopies. Further, the influence of UV light on pure PMMA and the blends was assessed using various approaches, including functional group indices, the percentage of weight loss, and the leaching/extraction test. The made films were also characterized before and after irradiation by SEM and AFM images. Results show that the blends have superior photostability compared to pure PMMA, especially the blend containing 3,4‐dimethoxybenzaldehyde. This blend has the lowest values of functional group indices and weight loss, as well as a smooth surface according to the SEM image after 300 h of irradiation.
Alyami et al. (Sun,) studied this question.