Photo-oxidative stability of paraloid acrylic protective polymers

The photo-oxidative stability of a series of commercial acrylic/methacrylic protective resins, which find use in consolidation and protection of art works, monuments and historical buildings, and are known by the name of Paraloids, has been investigated. The structural and molecular changes occurring under conditions of artificial solar light irradiation have been followed by FTIR and UV–Vis spectroscopy, and size exclusion chromatography. In all the resins the first degradative event which is detected is the molecular weight distribution change due to chain scissions and/or coupling of macroradicals. The overall stability of the polymers is strongly influenced by the presence of long alkyl side groups, such as butyl or isobutyl, whose oxidation is favoured by the presence of relatively labile hydrogen atoms. At the same time these polymers containing long ester groups undergo fast and extensive cross-linking together with some fragmentation and consequent weight losses. The resins containing only ethyl and methyl esters showed a good stability towards oxidation, reaching an equilibrium between scission reactions and macromolecular coupling which permit them to maintain their molecular characteristics during the ageing.