Designing polymer nanocomposite films with controlled UV-responsive degradation behavior is an important materials-engineering strategy for reducing the environmental persistence of polymeric materials. In this study, nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles were synthesized using eucalyptus leaf extract through a green route and incorporated into poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) films as photoactive additives to enhance UV-induced photo-oxidative degradation. The prepared NiO nanoparticles and PVB/NiO films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and ultraviolet-visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. The results confirmed the formation of well-crystallized NiO nanoparticles with nanoscale morphology and suitable UV-responsive optical properties. The synthesized NiO nanoparticles exhibited an average crystallite/particle size of 26. 5 nm, as supported by XRD analysis and SEM particle-size evaluation, and a direct optical band gap of 3. 72 eV. The PVB/NiO films were exposed to UV irradiation at 313 nm, and their degradation behavior was evaluated using weight-loss measurements, FTIR-derived carbonyl index analysis, and apparent kinetic modeling. Both weight loss and carbonyl index increased with irradiation time, confirming progressive photo-oxidative degradation of the PVB matrix. Compared with pure PVB, NiO-loaded films showed enhanced degradation performance, especially at higher nanoparticle loadings. The film containing 0. 004 wt% NiO exhibited the strongest degradation response and the highest apparent degradation rate constant of 9. 02 × 10⁻³ h⁻¹. The enhanced performance is attributed to the UV-responsive photocatalytic activity of NiO, which promotes charge separation, oxygen activation, and oxidative chain scission. These findings demonstrate that low-loading green-synthesized NiO nanoparticles can be used as functional additives for engineering UV-degradable PVB nanocomposite films.
Omer et al. (Mon,) studied this question.