The Mechanism of Light-induced Ageing and Light Stabilisation of Polymers

This review deals with processes accompanying the light-induced ageing of polymers which are subjected simultaneously to the action of oxygen and ultraviolet and visible light, and also with the distinctive features of these processes and possible pathways for the stabilisation of polymeric materials. Under natural conditions, solar radiation leads to rapid mechanical breakdown of unstabilised polymeric materials. The light stabilisation of polymers is one of the most important problems, because of the wide application of these materials in space engineering, national economy, and ordinary life. The authors' aim was not to give the maximum cover of the available literature on this problem, which has become fairly extensive during the last 5–6 years; attention is mainly concentrated on the mechanisms of the processes occurring in light-induced ageing and the methods available for their investigation. The bibliography includes 122 references.