Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of PE film by anatase/γ-MnO2

Abstract

The photocatalytic degradation of low-density polyethylene (PE) films containing nanoparticles (NP) of titanium and manganese dioxides has been investigated. Composite PE films were prepared by the casting of p-xylene with the photocatalyst (TiO2, MnO2 or hybrid 1: 1 TiO2&MnO2) content of 1 wt%. The polyethylene degradation test has been carried out in a photoreactor with UV-irradiation (Hg lamp). Then, FTIR spectroscopy and gravimetric measurements have been conducted after the UV exposure at variable time to evaluate the NPs photocatalytic effects within the PE matrix. According to these tests, we detected the coupling effects of TiO2 and MnO2 nanoparticles on the PE photo-degradation. Moreover, the influence of TiO2 and TiO2&MnO2 on the tensile properties, thermal behavior under inert atmosphere and wettability characteristics of PE based films have been explored by DMA, TGA and water contact angle measurements, respectively. Based on TGA data, we studied the effects of TiO2 and TiO2&MnO2 nanoparticles on the kinetics of the PE thermal degradation.