Effects of ultraviolet radiation, temperature and moisture on aging of coatings and sealants - A chemical and rheological study

Photodegradation of polymeric materials leads to significant modifications in both chemical properties and mechanical-rheological behaviors over time. Thus, it is important to characterize both properties to gain a better understanding of the durability of the materials. In this contribution, the chemorheological tools based upon Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) were used to study the effects of temperature and moisture on photodegradation of a model sealant/coating system based upon a styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock copolymer. Specimens were exposed coincidentally to ultraviolet-visible radiation between 295 nm and 600 nm, and one of four different combinations of temperature and relative humidity (RH), i.e., (a) 30 °C and <1% RH, (b) 30 °C and 80% RH, (c) 55 °C and <1% RH, and (d) 55 °C and 80% RH. The rate of photodegradation was examined in terms of formation of oxidation species and evolution of mechanical-rheological data, including glass transition temperatures, moduli, and the number of effective crosslinked butadiene chains per unit volume per exposure time. Environmental exposure resulted in similar degradation modes for all four environments but the rate of photodegradation was found to depend strongly on temperature. Conversely, the role of moisture on photodegradation was not significant. The study shows that chemical modification can be directly related to the corresponding rheological modifications. In addition, the relative stability of styrene and butadiene against photodegradation as a function of temperature and moisture was compared.