When absorbed by plastics, UV energy can excite photons. This, in turn, can create free radicals. … The fact is, lots of pure plastics simply cannot absorb UV radiation, putting your project and its components at severe risk. You can, of course, avoid UV degradation

Does UV light damage plastic?

All types of UV can cause a photochemical effect within the polymer structure, which can lead to degradation of some sort to the material. The higher energy UVC is the type most likely to affect plastics. Absorbed UV energy can excite the photons in a plastic. … Those free radicals can cause breaks in the polymer bonds.

Does UV light make plastic brittle?

Sunlight May Degrade Plastics Materials may discolor, crack or completely disintegrate. While the UV degradation of a polymer in sunlight is usually only . 05 deep in the material’s surface the highly brittle nature of some plastics may lead to complete component failure.