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Weathering of polystyrene foam on exposure in air and in seawater
Author(s) -
Andrady Anthony L.,
Pegram Jan E.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1991.070420612
Subject(s) - seawater , polystyrene , gel permeation chromatography , materials science , embrittlement , artificial seawater , ultimate tensile strength , composite material , polymer , geology , oceanography
Expanded extruded polystyrene foam was exposed outdoors in air and floating in seawater. The degradation of the materials was determined by ultraviolet spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and measurement of yellowness, viscosity, and tensile properties. The samples underwent extensive yellowing, reduction in average molecular weight, and embrittlement in the exposed surface layer. Furthermore, the rate of deterioration was shown to be faster in seawater than in air, possibly due to the removal by the seawater of the outer protective yellow‐colored layer formed during early exposure to sunlight.