Changes in physicochemical and mechanical properties of γ-irradiated polypropylene syringes as a function of irradiation dose

The effect of γ-irradiation on mechanical, thermal, physicochemical and structural properties of polypropylene (PP) syringes was studied. Irradiation doses of 30, 60 and 120 kGy were used with non-irradiated PP syringes serving as control samples. Irradiation caused a significant deterioration in mechanical properties of samples. The compression strength of whole syringe body decreased with increasing irradiation dose. Similarly % extension at break decreased with increasing irradiation dose. Of the physicochemical properties tested, both degree of yellowness and extractable radiolysis products increased with increasing irradiation dose. Melting temperature as well as specific melting enthalpy decreased with increasing irradiation dose. Minor differences in FTIR spectra were observed, mainly in the region of 1720 cm⁻¹, corresponding to the absorption of carbonyl compounds indicating the formation of increased amounts of oxidation products at high irradiation doses. Gas chromatography- mass spectroscopy analysis indicated the formation of a number of radiolysis compounds as a result of irradiation. The number and concentration of these compounds increase progressively with increasing dose until 60 kGy. At the same time a number of compounds initially present in non-irradiated syringes were destroyed by irradiation.     

Structure and properties of electron-beam irradiated potato starch

The supermolecular structure of potato starch modified by electron-beam irradiation was studied and factors that determine its solubility in cold water were revealed. It was shown that the treatment of starch in air at doses up to 440 kGy is accompanied by its amorphization and degradation of macromolecules, whereas an increase in the amount of oxidized groups is insignificant and grain morphology remains unchanged. A decrease in the crystallinity and the degree of polymerization after irradiation results in enhancement of starch solubility in cold water from 5 to 70%.     

Changes of mechanical properties in cold-crystallized syndiotactic polypropylene during aging

Many semicrystalline polymers undergo a process of aging when they are stored at temperatures higher than their glass-transition temperature (T _g). Syndiotactic polypropylene was quenched from the melt to −40 °C, crystallized from the glassy state at 20 or 40 °C and stored at the respective temperature for different aging times up to 7200 h. A significant increase in the tensile modulus and stress at yield and a decrease in strain at yield were observed for both aging temperatures. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) scans of aged material showed an endothermic annealing peak 15–30 °C above the previous aging temperature, the maximum temperature and enthalpic content of which increased with aging time. The position and the shape of the melting peak were not affected by aging. Scans of the storage modulus obtained from dynamic mechanical analyser measurements indicated a softening process starting at about 20 °C above the aging temperature and correlating with the annealing peak detected by DSC. Density measurements and wide-angle X-ray scattering investigations revealed that neither the crystallinity increased significantly nor did the crystal structure change. So the observed property changes induced by aging are attributed to microstructural changes within the amorphous phase. Furthermore, it could be shown by annealing experiments carried out at 60 °C, that aging above T _g is, analogous to aging below T _g (physical aging), a thermoreversible process. Received: 18 September 2000 Accepted: 2 January 2001     

Study of the morphology,thermal and mechanical properties of irradiated isotactic polypropylene films

Thin films of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) are of great economical importance and their production is quite challenging due to the need of very fast uniaxial or biaxial expansion. During the expansion, critical problems usually arise, like structure disruption, shear thinning, causing material, energy and time losses. This work aims to study the surface morphology and compare the thermal, mechanical properties of PP films irradiated by gamma ray in an acetylene atmosphere after uniaxial expansion. PP films were made by compression molding at 190 °C with cooling in water at room temperature and irradiated by gamma ray, at (5, 12.5 and 20 kGy) under acetylene atmosphere. After irradiation the samples were submitted to thermal treatment at 90 °C for 1 h and then stretched out at 170 °C using an Instron machine. The surface of PP films, pristine and modified, (i.e., irradiated), was studied using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The changes in morphology, crystallinity and tensile parameters, like yield stress, rupture stress and elongation strain of the PP with irradiation dose were investigated. The results showed some evidences of gel formation due to crosslinking and/or long chain branching induced by radiation.     

Dynamic mechanical properties of irradiated polyvinyl chloride

Summary Effects of gamma radiation on the dynamic mechanical properties of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) have been studied at audio frequencies from 80 K to 450 K for doses up to 1400 megarads. Two damping peaks were observed between 80 K and 400 K. The onset of main relaxation near 350 K shifted to lower temperatures at low doses, and then shifted to higher temperatures at a dose of 1400 megarads. Only slight changes are discernible in the damping peak near 250 K upon irradiation, but definite variations are noted in the modulus curves. Upon irradiation to 270 megarads an additional damping peak appeared near 150 K accompanied by an increase in modulus at lower temperatures. The height of this peak increased with increasing radiation dose.Crosslinking was confirmed from rubber elastic behavior, swelling, and solvent extraction studies. Some tentative explanations for the changes occurring in the dynamic mechanical properties of irradiated PVC are given in terms of crosslinking, loss of crystallinity, and dehydrochlorination followed by the formation of conjugated series of double bonds.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurde die Wirkung von-Strahlung auf die dynamisch-mechanischen Eigenschaften von Polyvinylchlorid (PVC) bei Hörfrequenzen von 80 K bis 450 K für Dosen bis zu 1400 Megarad untersucht. Zwei Dämpfungspiks zeigen sich zwischen 80 und 400 K. Das Einsetzen der Hauptrelaxation nahe 350 K verlagert sich zu tieferen Temperaturen bei kleineren Dosen, um dann zu höheren Temperaturen bei einer Dosis von 1400 Megarad hinaufzugehen. Nur leichte änderungen sind im Dämpfungspik nahe 250 K durch die Strahlung zu beobachten; aber in der Modulkurve werden definierte Variationen erkennbar. Nach Bestrahlung mit 270 Megarad erscheint ein zusätzlicher Dämpfungspik nahe 150 K, begleitet durch ein Anwachsen des Moduls zu tieferen Temperaturen. Die Höhe dieses Piks wächst mit wachsender Strahlungsdosis.Die Vernetzung wurde aus dem gummielastischen Verhalten, der Quellung und aus Lösungsmittel-Extraktionen bestimmt. Die im dynamisch-mechanischen Verhalten durch die Strahlung des PVC auftretenden änderungen werden auf Grund der Vernetzung, der Abnahme an Kristallinität, der Dehydrochlorierung — gefolgt durch die Bildung von Serien konjugierter Doppelbildungen — erklärt.

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This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.     

Reaction mechanism and rheological properties of polypropylene irradiated under various atmospheres

It is well-known that the melt-strength properties of a polymer increases with molecular weight and with long chain branching due to the increase in the entanglement level. This study is a contribution for the understanding of the following points: — the role of branching, crosslinking and degradation on melt strength properties; — the mechanism and the kinetics of PP irradiation with time of irradiation and the importance of double bond formation.

The results showed that degradation was the major reaction in the initial step of irradiation no matter the atmosphere and or antioxidant. However, double bond formation increased the production of branching and crosslinking reactions. Double bond formation had no effect on the crystallization kinetics, on the other hand, long chain branching had a marked effect on the crystallization temperature.     

A new composite polypropylene material with improved physicochemical and consumer properties

A new composite material, polypropylene threads fi lled with nanosized copper powder, was prepared. The material exhibits decreased electrical resistivity.     

Effect of isotacticity on radiation stability of polypropylene under lower dose irradiation

Relationship between radiation stability and isotacticity of polypropylene was studied. It was found that the higher the isotacticity, the better the radiation stability under lower dose irradiation. Special PP power with higher isotacticity can keep the melting index change less after γ-irradiation in air. Furthermore, the special PP powder with higher isotacticity has lower intention of branching after 1 kGy γ-irradiation in vacuum and has lower intention of degradation after 5 kGy γ-irradiation in vacuum.     

Thermal and mechanical properties of polypropylene in the thermoplastic elastomeric state

One result of the discovery of homogeneous metallocene stereospecific catalysts is the ability to prepare polypropylene in a stereoblock form in which the isotactic stretches give crystallites acting as temporary crosslinks in an elastomeric network structure. The fact that these elastomers are thermoplastic and thus reprocessible increases the importance of establishing their structure-property relationships. In this report, the dependence of their physical properties on isotactic pentad content, molecular weight, and possible strain-induced crystallization are described. Thermal evaluations and mechanical tests of these materials under oscillatory strain, continuous extension and near-equilibrium uniaxial and biaxial elongation showed that they were multiphase, tough elastomeric materials. Their moduli and tensile strengths increased with increase in % isotactic pentad content and with increase in molecular weight. Equilibrium stress-strain measurements showed the occurrence of strain-induced crystallization in uniaxial, but not in biaxial, deformations.     

Crystallization behaviors and mechanical properties of carbon fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In this work, carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared by melt processing with maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene...     

Effect of gamma and electron-beam irradiation on the anisotropy of electric properties of indium selenide

The generation and distribution of radiation defects in single-crystal samples of indium selenide with an electron number density of 5 × 10¹⁴−1 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ during irradiation with γ-rays (doses of 10⁷ and 10⁸ R) and 25-MeV electrons (fluences of 10¹⁵ particle/cm²) was studied, as well as the behavior of the mobility.     

Preparation and physicochemical and mechanical properties of low-substituted cellulose phosphate fibers

Mechanical and physicochemical properties of cotton and viscose fibers esterified with aqueous solutions containing orthophosphoric acid and urea in different ratios were studied.     

Simple method of evaluating absorbed dose in electron-beam processing

The use of semiempirical multilayer depth-dose code EDMULT for evaluating the absorbed- dose coefficient K was studied with a personal computer. When multiplied by the charge per unit area, the coefficient gives the adsorbed dose in the sample irradiated by electrons. This relation presupposes the model configuration of the plane-parallel beam normally incident on the four-layer slab absorber. The absorber consists of the accelerator window, the air layer, the sample and the substratum. The initial energies of electrons above 100 keV were considered. The values of K obtained agreed reasonbly well with the values in the literature. The absorbed doses estimated from K were compared with the values measured by the radiochromic dosimeter for various sets of irradiation conditions. The r.m.s. deviation of the former from the latter was 6.7%. A calculated example of the effects of different substratum materials is given.     

The effect of water on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of gelatin

Strips of gelatin have been prepared by extrusion at different water contents varying from 20 to 50% H₂O (dry weight basis, d.w.b.). The processes of subsequent hydration or dehydration of these strips were followed by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), wide-angle X-ray diffraction and NMR relaxation measurements. A comparison of the calculated dependence of theT _g of gelatin (T _g anhydrous, 200?C) on water content (using the Ten Brinke and Karasz equation) with experimental results derived from DMTA showed that freshly extruded material followed the theoretical plot below 25% H₂O (d.w.b.), but at higher water contents, the7 _g deviated positively, probably due in part to the effect of delayed re-equilibration of water content after thawing of separated ice crystals. The experimental results determined after storage for one week fell on a different line, with aT _g of 145?C for anhydrous gelatin Possibly, theT _g is elevated by crystallization — a view supported by the WAXS spectra. The NMR relaxation results also showed a profound mobilization of the gelatin protons at water contents greater than 25% d.w.b.     

Vibration-induced change of crystal structure in isotactic polypropylene and its improved mechanical properties

In order to understand the formation of different crystal structures and improve the mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP), melt vibration technology, which generally includes shear vibration and hydrostatic pressure vibration, was used to induce the change of crystal structure of iPP. iPP forms α crystal structure in traditional injection molding. Through melt vibration, crystal orientated and its size became smaller, and a change of crystal structure of iPP from α form to β form and γ form was achieved. Therefore, the mechanical properties of iPP were improved. At high melting temperature (230 °C), only β form can be induced. At low melting temperature (190 °C), either β form or γ form can be induced, depending on the combination of frequency and vibration pressure. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2385–2390, 2004     

Mechanical relaxation in polypropylene as a function of polymorphism and degree of lamella orientation

Mechanical relaxation data as a function of temperature (ca. 1 Hz) have been obtained for several samples of isotactic polypropylene crystallized from the melt, which exhibit both α and β forms as well as varying degrees of lamella orientation. The samples ranged in morphology from an unoriented sample showing only the α form to one highly oriented having approximately 90 per cent the β form. Results for the logarithmic decrement Δ and loss modulus G″ are that the low temperature (ca. ?75°C) and glass temperature (ca. 0°C) relaxations show little or no sensitivity to orientation in the α form, but that the intensity of the two processes is different in the α form than in the β form for samples of nearly equal overall per cent crystallinity. In both Δ and G″, the low-temperature peak decreased and the glass temperature peak increased in intensity as the fraction of β form crystallinity present increased. Data for the high-temperature relaxation (ca. 80°C) indicate a dependence upon orientation and/or crystal form in addition to a dependence upon per cent crystallinity.     

Free radicals in irradiated unstabilized polypropylene, as seen by diffuse reflection absorption-spectrophotometry

The introduction of UV-Vis absorption spectrophotometry to the study of radiation chemistry of polymers has opened the possibility to investigate even very opaque samples. The virgin powder polypropylene, as obtained from the industrial production line, shows after irradiation unstable products of radiolysis. Until now they were investigated mainly by EPR method. Optical absorption spectra (by diffuse reflection spectrophotometry) contribute to better identification and study of changes in time, temperature and diffusion of reactive gases. Studying the formation of stable compounds, which do not produce EPR signal, we are able to examine these species on the basis of their electronic spectra. The most important results concern the peroxides in irradiated polypropylene.     

Effect of annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of polypropylene random copolymer

In this work, polypropylene random copolymer (PPR) was taken as an example to study the changes of mechanical properties related to its microstructure evolution. Firstly, the toughness and fracture morphology were analyzed by notched Izod impact test and scanning electron microscope. Annealing at relative lower temperatures (<100°C), mechanical properties are slightly enhanced, which should be pointed out that significant improvements have been observed when annealing at relative higher temperatures (>100°C). Secondly, the study was conducted from the conventional differential scanning calorimetry, wide angle X-ray diffraction, and small-angle X-ray scattering to analyses the changes in the crystalline and amorphous regions. Dynamic thermomechanical analysis was employed to explore the changes of molecular mobility in samples after annealing at different temperatures. Moreover, to find out the stress transfer between the crystalline regions and the amorphous regions, we did further analysis of the typical stress–strain curves and proposed the mechanism of microstructure evolution during annealing process. The results shown that amorphous rearranged and formed thinner lamellae when annealing at relative low temperature. While annealing at higher temperatures, the mobile and rigid amorphous regions rearranged into more perfect lamellae and the density of stress transmitters was increased significantly.