Photo-oxidative Aging Behaviors of Acrylic Coatings during UV Irradiation Investigated by Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy

Slow positron annihilation spectroscopy, contact angle and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were employed to investigate the surface polarity and morphologies as functions of aging time in acrylic coatings during UV-a irradiation. The S parameter plots of each exposed sample are lower than that of the virgin sample in the whole range of E. The S parameter plots become lower as the exposing longer time, indicated that the irradiation generated more polar groups and increased the oxidation layer depth. Combined with surface morphology and the surface energy of acrylic coating, the variation of contact angle, and surface energy, polar component and dispersive component is related with surface polarity and morphologies.