The lifetime of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) can be increased through the addition of additives to provide protection against irradiation. Therefore, several new tin complexes containing atenolol moieties were synthesized and their photostabilizing effect on PVC was investigated. Reacting atenolol with a number of tin reagents in boiling methanol provided high yields of tin complexes. PVC was then mixed with the tin complexes at a low concentration, producing polymeric thins films. The films were irradiated with ultraviolet light and the resulting damage was assessed using different analytical and surface morphology techniques. Infrared spectroscopy and weight loss determination indicated that the films incorporating tin complexes incurred less damage and less surface changes compared to the blank film. In particular, the triphenyltin complex was very effective in enhancing the photostability of PVC, and this is due to its high aromaticity (three phenyl rings) compared to other complexes. Such an additive acts as a hydrogen chloride scavenger, radical absorber, and hydroperoxide decomposer.
Keywords: atenolol-tin complexes; photostabilization; poly (vinyl chloride); roughness factor; surface morphology; weight loss.