photodegradev.
/ˌfəʊtəʊdᵻˈɡreɪd/, U.S. /ˈˌfoʊdoʊdəˈɡreɪd/ Science.
1. transitive. To degrade by the action of light; to subject to photodegradation.
ΚΠ
1971 Science 8 Jan. 47/1 New experimental results...indicated that dioxin is photodegraded quickly.
1998 K. A. Hunter et al. in D. L. Macalady Perspectives Environmental Chem. xviii. 441 They determined that Fe( iii)-EDTA complexes were photodegraded to produce Fe( ii) in their cultures, which was reoxidized to form labile Fe( iii).
2004 Toxicol. in Vitro 18 581 Compound 1 and in particular, compound 2 are rapidly photodegraded upon UVA irradiation, yielding a toxic photoproduct.
2. intransitive. To undergo photodegradation.
ΚΠ
1973 New Scientist 24 May 462/2 Kenneth W. L. Moilanen and Donald G. Crosby of the University of California at Davis have demonstrated two routes by which DDT may have photodegraded into PCBs, using wavelengths which occur in sunlight.
1980 Chem. in Brit. 16 482/2 All Type A polymers photodegrade initially through the absorption of light by impurity chromophores.
2002 Land & Water Nov.–Dec. 6/3 The straw in the mat will rot in 8 to 10 weeks, while the mat fiber will photodegrade in about 6 months.
Derivatives
ˌphotodeˈgrading n. photodegradation.
ΚΠ
1974 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 29 June 7/1 All that's needed is a little sunlight to get the process going (photodegrading).
1991 Western Living June 58b/2 Similar to the white PVC of plumbing pipes, the plastic resin used for this furniture is chemically altered to resist photodegrading and yellowing.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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v.1971