Photooxidation of poly[methyl(phenyl)silylene] and effect of photostabilizers

Poly[methyl(phenyl)silylene] (PMPSi) samples were irradiated in air atmosphere using either a weatherometer ATLAS Ci 3000+ or a mercury discharge lamp HBO 200. The kinetics of photodegradation was determined by FTIR and UV spectroscopies. The absorption changes in the siloxane, carbonyl and hydroxyl regions were monitored and analyzed. It is assumed that photodegradation of neat PMPSi in air atmosphere is an irreversible dual photoprocess consisting of primary photolysis followed by the photooxidation to oxygenated products such as siloxanes and species containing hydroxyl and carbonyl groups. Degradative changes can be retarded by the addition of photostabilizers. Triazine-based phenolic UV absorber protecting the polymer by the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer mechanism, bifunctional stabilizer (consisting of UV absorber and HAS functions) and the combination of triazine-based phenolic UV absorber with HAS was rather effective in retardation of photodegradation of PMPSi.