| Title: |
A Thermal Analytical Study of LEGO® Bricks for Investigating Light-Stability of ABS |
| Authors: |
Sabatini F.; Pizzimenti S.; Bargagli I.; Degano I.; Duce C.; Cartechini L.; Modugno F.; Rosi F. |
| Contributors: |
Sabatini, F; Pizzimenti, S; Bargagli, I; Degano, I; Duce, C; Cartechini, L; Modugno, F; Rosi, F |
| Publisher Information: |
MDPI; CH |
| Publication Year: |
2023 |
| Collection: |
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca: BOA (Bicocca Open Archive) |
| Subject Terms: |
ABS; degradation; DSC; EGA-MS; Py-GC/MS; TGA |
| Description: |
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is a thermoplastic polymer widely used in several everyday life applications; moreover, it is also one of the most employed plastics in contemporary artworks and design objects. In this study, the chemical and thermal properties of an ABS-based polymer and its photo-degradation process were investigated through a multi-analytical approach based on thermal, mass spectrometric and spectroscopic techniques. LEGO(& REG;) building blocks were selected for studying the ABS properties. First, the composition of unaged LEGO(& REG;) bricks was determined in terms of polymer composition and thermal stability; then, the bricks were subjected to UV-Vis photo-oxidative-accelerated ageing for evaluation of possible degradation processes. The modifications of the chemical and thermal properties were monitored in time by a multi-technique approach aimed at improving the current knowledge of ABS photodegradation, employing pyrolysis online with gas chromatography and evolved gas analysis, coupled with mass spectrometric detection (Py-GC-MS and EGA-MS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and corroborated by external reflection FT-IR spectroscopy. The multimodal approach provided new evidence on the two-step degradation pathway proposed for ABS, defining molecular markers for polybutadiene oxidation and styrene-acrylonitrile depolymerization. Moreover, the results highlighted the feasibility of correlating accurate compositional and thermal data acquired by bulk techniques with external reflection FT-IR spectroscopy as a non-invasive portable tool to monitor the state of conservation of plastic museum objects in-situ. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
ELETTRONICO |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/37571161; info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:001046264400001; volume:15; issue:15; journal:POLYMERS; https://hdl.handle.net/10281/470982 |
| DOI: |
10.3390/polym15153267 |
| Availability: |
https://hdl.handle.net/10281/470982; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15153267 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ; license:Creative Commons ; license uri:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.486DDC52 |
| Database: |
BASE |