Antarctica – A unique location for the testing of polymers
Vol.13,No.1(2023)
The Johann Gregor Mendel Czech Antarctic Station (JGM), located in the northern part of James Ross Island in Antarctica, provides a facility for research in many scientific disciplines, such as geography, geology, climatology and biology. In 2015 its activities were extended by the testing of plastics. When synthetic polymers, often referred to as plastics, are exposed to outdoor conditions they undergo irreversible changes due to the absorption of incident solar UV radiation and the consequent reactions with oxygen. Their stability and reliability for outdoor applications are tested through weathering at various locations around the world. Until 2015, when systematic research into plastics started at the JGM, no information on the resistance of plastics to the Antarctic climate was available.
weathering; plastics; polymers; degradation; outdoor exposure; Antarctica
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Copyright © 2023 Jiří Tocháček, Kamil Láska, Radka Bálková, Pavel Kapler, Peter Váczi, Lukáš Krmíček