A detailed surface analytical study of degradation processes in (meth)acrylic polymers

The present study investigates the degradation behavior of various high-molecular-weight acrylic polymers (50,000 PBMA/PBA > PMMA, with PMMA still stable even after 5 months exposure to the harshest condition used (UV light at 95 °C). The general degradation mechanism involves the loss of the ester side groups to form methacrylic acid followed by cross-linking. The effect of the variable end groups was found to be minimal. The results from this study are in good agreement with previous studies of low-molecular-weight model polymers under identical conditions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.