A novel acrylonitrile acrylate copolymer coating was proposed to improve the UV irradiation resistance of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) sheets. Its effect on the photoageing properties of the sheets was evaluated by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), yellowness index test, and the oxygen permeability coefficient and mechanical properties measurement. The experimental results show that the novel acrylonitrile acrylate copolymer coating significantly improves the UV irradiation resistance of PVC sheets. Compared with the PVC sheets without coating, the coated PVC sheets show better mechanical properties, lower yellowness index, and smaller oxygen permeability coefficient after UV irradiation. The analysis on the SEM images of the PVC sheets indicates that the coating acts as a film to prevent the PVC sheets from UV energy and oxygen that can accelerate the photochemical reactions of PVC. The FTIR analysis confirms that the coating can slow down the microstructures development of the PVC sheets, also indicating that the coating impeded the photochemical reactions of PVC. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 117: 2899-2906, 2010