Ultraviolet light accelerates the degradation of polyethylene plastics

Abstract Polyethylene plastics are widely used in daily life in the packaging of foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, detergents, and chemicals. In this study, low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) was exposed to an ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence lamp in simulated aging and degradation experiments. Ultraviolet degradation mechanisms were investigated on the surface after sunlight and UV lamp exposure. The plastic surfaces' molecular and surface degradation results were compared with their Fourier Transform Infrared‐Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR‐ATR) and ultraviolet visible (UV–Vis) spectra. By growing the length of exposure time increased stages of degradation were observed. After UV lamp and sunlight exposure, changing degradation levels were also determined with spectroscopic evaluations and the results were compared. LDPE was selected since it has a simple structure and a number of branched polymer structures that facilitate easily disruption of the chemical bond. Breaks in the polymer chain were easily seen in the plastics at the end of degradation and a fragile structure was formed throughout the polymer chain after accelerating UV light aging. The FTIR spectrum clarified the changed and fractured molecular bond structures of UV‐exposed polyethylene. The change in the molecular structure of the plastic caused small changes in its color and small variations in this color change were detected by recording the Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–Vis) spectrum. The Philips UV lamp's light intensity and the wavelength spectrum range were measured. The UV lamp and sun UV light doses were calculated and compared.