Untersuchungen zur klärung der sensibiliserten photodegradation von polystyrol in lösungen, 1. Experimentelle befunde zum kettenabbau

Polystyrene (mass average molar mass M? = 609700 g/mol; molecular non-uniformity M?/M? ? 1 = 0,55) solutions in 8 different solvents were irradiated by light of a mercury lamp (wavelength λ ≥ 270 nm). The rate of photodegradation of the polymer (as determiened from ΔM?_w measurements by light scattering) is strongly solvent-dependent and only slightly dependent on the O₂ concentration in the irradiated solutions. An attempt to interpret this ?sensibilized”? photodegradation will be given in the second part of this series.