Open AccessMeasurement of polystyrene photodegradation rate using a quartz crystal microbalance
Author(s) -
Alodhayb Abdullah N.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
iet nanobiotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.366
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1751-875X
pISSN - 1751-8741
DOI - 10.1049/nbt2.12076
Subject(s) - quartz crystal microbalance , photodegradation , polystyrene , materials science , polymer , ultraviolet , quartz , wavelength , analytical chemistry (journal) , optoelectronics , chemical engineering , chemistry , composite material , chromatography , photocatalysis , organic chemistry , catalysis , adsorption , engineering
Polystyrene is a very popular polymer utilised in the manufacture of various consumer products. This polymer is very cheap; however, after its usage, the slowness of its photodegradation leads to environmental pollution. In this report, the author presents a technique to systematically measure the rate of photodegradation of a thin polystyrene film. The said film was made to coat a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor. In order to detect polymer degradation and the reduction in the molecular weight, the resonance frequency of the sensor was monitored for 24 h. Results revealed that QCM sensor irradiation with ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 365 nm and optical power of 1.5 mW caused a quite significant change in the polymer structure.