Development of Innovative Polymer Matrix Materials: The Role of Polymer Functionalization and Additives.

Additives are always employed in polymer formulation to preserve properties, conferring, or enhancing functionalities. However, in non-appropriate conditions they could cause or contribute to polymer degradation phenomena, especially encountered in commercial products, significantly shortening their life time contributing to environmental pollution due to the necessity to dispose failed product and replace them with new ones; for this reason understanding the causes of the degradation has primary importance in a circular economy perspective in order to prevent product failures, which is translated into a lower environmental impact. In collaboration with iGuzzini-illuminazione S.p.A. of Recanati (Italy), part of the Swedish Fagerhult Group, the first chapter of this thesis, is focused on the investigation of an illumination product-in service yellowing phenomenon. Afterwards, it is evaluated the compatibility of two different coating systems onto a BPA-polycarbonate substrate focusing on the migration of small molecules and their implications when in intimate contact with polymer systems. In the second chapter three different polymer functionalization procedure are proposed and developed in order to minimize the environmental impact by exploiting bio-based resources such as vanillic acid as viable starting material for polyurea synthesis, PET upcycling through aminolysis reaction to provide new diols employed in poly(urethane acrylate)s preparation, and valorising PET waste by functionalization through glycolysis reaction to confer antioxidant properties.