Photooxidation of Poly(butylene succinate) Films by UV/Ozone Irradiation

Abstract

Biodegradable Poly(butylene succinate), PBS, was photooxidized by UV/ozone irradiation and the effect of UV energy on the surface properties of the UV-irradiated PBS film were investigated by the measurement of reflectance, surface roughness, contact angles, chemical composition, and zeta potential. With increasing UV energy, reflectance decreased in the visible and ultraviolet regions particularly at the wavelength of 380nm. The irradiation produced nano-scale surface roughness including the maximum peak-to-valley roughness increased from 106nm for the unirradiated sample to 221nm at the UV energy of $10.6J/cm^2$. The improved hydrophilicity was due to the higher $O_{1s}/C_{1s}$ resulting from the introduction of polar groups such as C-O and C=O bonds. The surface energy of the PBS increased from $42.1mJ/m^2$ for the unirradiated PBS to $56.8mJ/m^2$ at the irradiation of $21.2J/cm^2$. The zeta potentials of the UV-irradiated PBS also decreased proportionally with increasing UV energy. The cationic dyeability of the PBS increased accordingly resulting from the improved affinity of the irradiated PBS surfaces containing photochemically introduced anionic and dipolar dyeing sites.