Photochemical stabilization of LLDPE/clay nanocomposites: towards durable nanocomposites

This article reports a study of the chemical modifications of LLDPE/nanoblend nanocomposites exposed to UV light in conditions of artificially accelerated ageing and natural weathering. Analysis by infrared spectroscopy of the chemical modifications produced by photoageing shows that the presence of an organo-clay leads to the decrease of the oxidation induction time of the polymer (LLDPE), which results in lower durability of the nanocomposites. Protection against photooxidation was tested with different kinds of UV stabilizers and with a metal deactivator. It is shown that the metal deactivator is very efficient in stabilizing the nanocomposite since it totally cancels the prodegradant effect of the organo-clay. This confirms the role played by iron impurities in natural clays. The use of a metal deactivator offers a new insight into the stabilization strategy for nanocomposites.