Effect of UVC Light on Tensile Properties of LLDPE Films Containing Addiflex Oxo-Biodegradable Additive

Several LLDPE samples containing various amounts of Addiflex Oxo-biodegradable compound are made by extrusion process and are converted to films by film blowing process. The effect of UVC light is investigated on tensile properties of the films. Results show that upon exposure to UVC light for six weeks the stress at yields of the samples increase, while elongation at breaks of them decrease and therefore their tensile modulus increase. These results are indicative of presence of short polymer chains which are produced through degradation. By increasing the amount of Oxo compound in the samples, stress at yields decrease at first but by increasing the amount of the compound the trend reverses. An opposite trend is seen for the elongation at break of the samples. These findings could be indicative of degradation of the samples at low concentrations of Oxo compound but probable cross linking of the samples at higher amounts of the compound.