Green-Synthesized Silver and Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles as Photostabilizers for PVC Films Under Accelerated UV Irradiation

Poly(vinyl chloride) shows gradual photodegradation by dehydrochlorination and oxidative chain reactions under long-term UV irradiation. Although conventional PVC stabilizers may limit the photodegradation, concerns about toxicity, migration of additives and long-term environmental effects have stimulated the search for new stabilizing solutions. Ag and NiO NPs materials were synthesized utilizing a plant-based green approach and added to PVC/CNNP/GO films at 0.3 and 0.5 wt%. The nanomaterials were characterized using different techniques, such as UV-Vis, FTIR, FESEM, EDX, TEM, and AFM. Accelerated UV-B irradiation assessed photodegradation via carbonyl, polyene, and hydroxyl indices; weight loss; and surface morphology. Nanoparticle-containing films showed less degradation than did blank PVC. The best film, with 0.5 wt% Ag NPs after prolonged irradiation, achieved carbonyl, polyene, and hydroxyl indices of 0.551, 0.545, and 0.591. Weight loss dropped from 2.242% for blank PVC to 1.131% for the Ag-containing film after 300 h, and the NiO NPs improved photostability but provided less protection than did Ag NPs at the same loading. These findings suggest that Ag and NiO NPs might prevent UV-induced PVC breakdown when used as nanomaterial-based photostabilizing additives.