Carbon dots with wide-spectrum absorption for enhanced anti-aging of poly(vinyl chloride) films

The aging of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) films, driven predominantly by ultraviolet (UV) radiation and environmental factors, restricts their long-term utility. This study explores the incorporation of wide-spectrum-absorbing carbon dots (CDs) as an innovative additive to enhance the anti-aging properties of PVC films. The CDs were synthesized from <i>Garcinia mangostana</i> rind through an environmentally friendly solvothermal method. The resulting CDs exhibit robust light absorption across a broad spectral range, efficiently mitigating harmful UV effects. Innovatively, PVC films embedded with CDs demonstrated notable improvements in photostability under prolonged light exposure. Furthermore, beyond leveraging the specific optical properties of CDs, the construction of an interfacial cross-linking structure is crucial for achieving high mechanical strength in the films. The resulting CDs-embedded PVC composite film demonstrates good mechanical properties, with tensile strength increasing from 47.2 MPa to 101.1 MPa and elongation at break increasing from 39.9% to 237.8%. These findings suggest that wide-spectrum-absorbing CDs hold significant promise for extending the durability of PVC films, particularly in applications exposed to prolonged sunlight, such as food packaging.