Analysis of Components Emitted during Photodegradation of Bionylon with Light-Induced Hydrolysis

Introduction

As the issues of marine plastic waste become more serious, there is a need to develop plastics that exhibit sufficient performance in use but quickly decompose in the marine environment. The authors have developed a high-performance nylon resin from itaconic acid that starts to decompose in water once exposed to sunlight. The nylon has a pyrrolidone ring in the main chain and exhibits light-induced hydrophilicity, but the structural changes and mechanisms involved have not been clarified. Therefore, when components emitted from samples due to light irradiation were analyzed using high- sensitivity GC- MS, it was confirmed that high CO₂ emission levels occurred. Presumably, the light-induced ring-opening of the pyrrolidone ring resulted from CO₂ liberation, generated secondary amines to make nylon hydrophilic.

February 2, 2022 GMT