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Polymers
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Issues in the Comparison between Artificially and Naturally Degraded Polymer...
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Issues in the Comparison between Artificially and Naturally Degraded Polymer Materials

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 2919

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elena Gómez-Sánchez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Material Science Department, Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum, Herner Straße 45, 44787 Bochum, Germany
Interests: analytical techniques; chromatography; sample preparation; FTIR analysis
Prof. Dr. Minna Hakkarainen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 58, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden
Interests: development of degradable, biobased and/or recyclable polymers; polymer degradation and recycling; valorization of waste/by-products to value added chemicals and carbon products for further utilization in design of new additives; polymers and composites; additive manufacturing; materials for packaging, biomedical and environmental applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Like all materials, polymers and products made from them are subjected to degradation from the moment they are synthesised, throughout their useful life, and ultimately during their entire lifetime. This includes the time they spend polluting the environment as waste.

This is reflected in various degradation phenomena, such as yellowing, embrittlement, sweating of plasticisers, or material fatigue. In order to avoid such phenomena within the planned service life, numerous standardised artificial ageing procedures have been developed that use harsher-than-real-life conditions. These tools allow a rapid evaluation of the stability of different formulations of the same material for a given use or application, providing an idea of their long-term stability. The final purpose is to guarantee the durability of a product for a certain period of time.

How reliable are artificially ageing protocols, though? A validation of the results is seldom possible, since naturally aged specimens are too lengthy to obtain. Additionally, results are often supported by the study of a few relevant parameters to a given material application, such as certain mechanical properties. Important questions remain unanswered in the current state of the art: how do artificial decay processes differ from natural ones? What is the minimum set of parameters that need to be evaluated in order to establish whether artificial ageing sufficiently reproduces the course and/or consequences of natural ageing?

This Special Issue hopes to encourage researchers to report instances where artificial degradation does not perform as expected or does not reproduce natural degradation faithfully, to explore the factors that play a role in this and ultimately achieve a body of data that can signal the way to fine-tune artificial degradation protocols to better mimic natural ageing.

Articles are welcome that document “failed” artificial degradation, examples of modified artificial degradation protocols leading to better mimicking of natural ageing, and the comparison of artificial and natural aged plastics or polymers. Both reports of indoor and outdoor (weathering) ageing are welcome.

Dr. Elena Gómez-Sánchez
Prof. Dr. Minna Hakkarainen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • artificial ageing
  • natural ageing
  • simulation
  • chemical degradation
  • degradation phenomena
  • polymer degradation mechanism
  • long-term stability

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 9834 KiB  
Article
Transparent Figures: Researching and Preserving Objects of Cellulose Acetate
by Benjamin Kemper and Christoph Herm
Polymers 2023, 15(13), 2838; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15132838 - 27 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1283
Abstract
In 1935, the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden began to produce the so-called Transparent Figures, which became icons of the 20th century. This study aims to explore the effects of external agents such as humidity and temperature on the aging mechanism of the materials of [...] Read more.
In 1935, the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden began to produce the so-called Transparent Figures, which became icons of the 20th century. This study aims to explore the effects of external agents such as humidity and temperature on the aging mechanism of the materials of the Transparent Figures and to slow it down through preventive measures. The focus is on cellulose acetate (CA), which was used for the outer skin of the Transparent Figures. The original objects were investigated using FTIR, Raman, and GC–MS. On some Transparent Figures, liquid leakage of additives occurs when the relative humidity rises above 50–60% RH and is accompanied by a release of acetic acid. Based on these findings, original CA used for the production of the Transparent Figures was artificially re-aged at 70 °C while varying the relative humidity. The specimens were analyzed with colorimetry and GC–MS. Additive content, degree of substitution and degree of polymerization were determined. The results showed that the degradation is slowed down at 30% RH compared to aging at 50% RH or 70% RH. Thus, lowering the relative humidity seems effective in slowing down the degradation of the CA of the Transparent Figures. A relative humidity of 30% RH and a temperature of 15 °C are recommended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Issues in the Comparison between Artificially and Naturally Degraded Polymer Materials)
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21 pages, 6405 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Composition, Thermal and Mechanical Behavior, and Color Changes of Artificially and Naturally Aged Polymers for the Conservation of Stained Glass Windows
by Josef Brandt, Elisavet Kanaki, Dieter Fischer and Christoph Herm
Polymers 2023, 15(12), 2595; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15122595 - 7 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1044
Abstract
Investigations of historical conservation materials on historical stained glass windows of the Naumburg Cathedral in Germany offered an opportunity for the study of polymers, naturally aged in a non-controlled environment. This allowed the conservation history of the cathedral to be traced and expanded [...] Read more.
Investigations of historical conservation materials on historical stained glass windows of the Naumburg Cathedral in Germany offered an opportunity for the study of polymers, naturally aged in a non-controlled environment. This allowed the conservation history of the cathedral to be traced and expanded by valuable insights. The historical materials were characterized through the use of spectroscopy (FTIR, Raman), thermal analysis, PY-GC/MS, and SEC on taken samples. The analyses show that acrylate resins were predominantly used for conservation. The lamination material from the 1940s is particularly noteworthy. Epoxy resins were also identified in isolated cases. Artificial aging was used to investigate the influence of environmental influences on the properties of the identified materials. Through a multi-stage aging program, influences of UV radiation, high temperatures and high humidity can be considered in isolation. Piaflex F20, Epilox, Paraloid B72 as a modern material and combinations of Paraloid B72/diisobutyl phthalate and PMA/diisobutyl phthalate were investigated. The parameters yellowing, FTIR spectra, Raman spectra, molecular mass and conformation, glass transition temperature, thermal behavior, and adhesive strength on glass were determined. The effects of the environmental parameters on the investigated materials are differentiated. UV and extreme temperatures tend to show a stronger influence than humidity. The comparison of the artificially aged samples with the naturally aged samples from the cathedral shows that the latter were less aged. Recommendations for the conservation of the historical stained glass windows were derived from the results of the investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Issues in the Comparison between Artificially and Naturally Degraded Polymer Materials)
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