Photo-oxidation kinetics of thick isotactic polypropylene films have been compared to thermal-oxidation kinetics of thin films, and noticeable differences have been found. The non-classical kinetic trend of the former can be described as a three step evolution: a typical induction/autoacceleration POOH build-up at the beginning, an intermediate slower POOH content increase and, finally, a gentler POOH increase, which can be better described by quadratic functions of the oxidation time than by a linear dependence. In addition, a series of oscillations appearing from the beginning of the photo-oxidation are found. This kinetic heterogeneity is suggested to be related to the progression of the oxidation to the inside of the strips. However, the FTIR analysis of the evolution of the POOH band position in both photo and thermal oxidation, enables the observed shape changes to be associated to kinetic stages. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
