Application of ferrocene-grafted polyethylene as UV-absorbers

Based on derivatization of commercial poly(ethylene- co -vinyl acetate) (EVA), novel macromolecular UV-absorbers with polyethylene (PE) backbones and ferrocene side groups are presented in this study. The structures and properties of the polymers were analyzed using various techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and UV visible absorption spectroscopy. UV analysis experiments have shown that PE-grafted ferrocenyl ester (PE- g -FE) and PE-grafted azacyclo-ferrocene (PE- g -AF) with ferrocene side groups have the potential to act as UV absorbers. By using the polymers as additives for commercial PE, the anti-migration experiment demonstrates that PE- g -AF, with a heterocyclic structure, exhibits superior anti-migration performance than the ester-linked PE- g -FE. Furthermore, in comparison to commercial small-molecular UV absorbers (UV-329), the PE- g -AF absorber not only exhibits better UV absorption performance but also demonstrates almost zero migration behavior within the PE matrix.