Accelerating the degradation of polyolefins through additives and blending

Polyolefins are popular because of their low price, useful properties, broad supply chains, and mature processing facilities, but they do not easily degrade in the natural environment, and hence, the development of degradable polyolefins has attracted increasing interest. Oxidative degradation and blending with natural polymers can accelerate the degradation of polyolefins in natural environments. In this article, we review the research and developments in the acceleration of the degradation of polyolefin blends and composites, including both the fundamental science, such as the degradation mechanisms and characterizations, and application techniques, such as the processing conditions and formulations. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40750.