Recent advances in the photo-oxidation of polymers

Recent results, mainly selected from the authors work on poly- styrene, clearly indicate that a sound understanding of the photo-oxidation of polymers cannot be gained without quantum yields determination. These show that transfer of energy has a major role in the initiation of the photo-oxidation because of the high local concentration of reactive groups in polymers. It is also possible to find correlations between the rate of ageing of industrial polymers and the extent of chemical transformation of the materials prior to the exposure to ultra-violet light.