Photodegradation of polyethylene in the presence of ferric chloride

Effects of ferric chloride (FeCl₃) on photodegradation of high-density polyethylene (PE) were investigated by using ESR and infrared spectrometry. In the system with irradiation at light of λ > 220 nm, PE irradiated at 77°K yielded an 8-line spectrum, the intensity of which was markedly weakened by using FeCl₃ with the sample, indicating a distinct depression of radical formation. On the other hand, PE with the use of FeCl₃ yielded radicals under irradiation only with light of λ > 300 nm, showing a singlet spectrum with a line width of 15 gauss. For photooxidized PE, almost the same effect of FeCl₃ was observed. On irradiation at room temperature, PE samples with and without FeCl₃ showed a singlet spectrum with line widths of 15 and 25 gauss, respectively. On the other hand, the unsaturated double bond contained in a small amount in PE sample was observed by infrared study to be decreased with photoirradiation; however, the decrease was sharply depressed with the addition of FeCl₃ to the sample. The degradation of carbonyl group in a photooxidized sample was markedly affected by photoirradiation, and the decay was obviously reduced for the sample on addition of FeCl₃. It is concluded that FeCl₃ works upon photodegradation of PE to enhance the Norrish type II reaction and to accelerate the formation of unsaturated double bond in the chain.     

Thermally Conductive Study of Polyethylene/Al2O3 Composite Networks Cross-linked by Electron Beam Irradiation

The surface-modified Al₂O₃ particles were introduced into polyethylene(PE) to enhance the thermal conductivity, and PE/Al₂O₃ cross-linked networks with improved thermal and mechanical properties were prepared through electron beam(EB) irradiation technology. The incorporation of reactive irradiation sensitizer was useful in fabricating a high degree of cross-linking(DC) PE networks under a low irradiation dose. In the PE sample containing 2% sensitizer, DC ca.67.1% could be obtained under 60 kGy(1 kGy=1000 J/kg). EB-irradiation greatly improved the tensile stress of PE-based samples, and the tensile stresses of the samples with 0.2%-5% TMPTA(trimethylolpro-pane triacrylate) under 60 kGy were 24.61-27.77 MPa. All the EB-irradiated samples had higher Vicat softening temperatures than the samples without irradiation. After treatment at 120 kGy, the Vicat softening temperatures of PE-Al₂O₃-44/TMPTA-2 increased from 127℃ to 130.4℃. SEM images revealed that PE-Al₂O₃-50 samples with increased amount of Al₂O₃ particles showed a conduction "pathway," and thermal conductivity reached 0.67 W/(m·K). Thus, high-performance pipes were extruded, which could satisfy the static hydraulic blasting test and exhibit improved thermal conduction capability.     

IMPROVED HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF 8-METHOXYPSORALEN MONOADDUCTS and CROSS-LINKS IN POLYNUCLEOTIDE, DNA, and CELLULAR SYSTEMS: ANALYSIS OF SPLIT-DOSE PROTOCOLS

Abstract— The distribution of 8-methoxypsoralen-thymidine photoadducts from polynucleotides, calf thymus DNA and mammalian cells treated with [³H]8-methoxypsoralen under a variety of irradiation conditions was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and scintillation analysis. The split-dose protocol, with samples treated with 8-methoxypsoralen and low doses of long-wavelength UV radiation to generate monoadducts, washed to remove unreacted 8-methoxypsoralen, then irradiated further to convert the monoadducts to cross-links, was examined. The photoadduct distribution in the first step is dependent upon the UVA dose and the wavelength of the radiation, but it is relatively independent of 8-methoxypsoralen concentration. Low fluence and longer wavelengths generate mainly 4',5'-monoadducts, whereas higher fluences and shorter wavelengths yield more cross-links. The second irradiation step converts the 4',5'-monoadducts to cross-links as well as to 3,4-monoadducts. The overall yield of cross-links after the second irradiation step is not dependent upon the wavelength used in the first step. Cellular studies demonstrated that the split-dose protocol is applicable to mammalian systems. These results may afFect the interpretation of mutagenesis studies based on the split-dose protocol, because the second step can convert 4',5'-monoadducts to both 3,4-monoadducts, the expected cross-links. Therefore, interpretations that link increases in mutagenicity after the second step in a split-dose study solely to cross-link formation may need re-examination.     

镧离子掺杂纳米TiO2光催化降解聚乙烯薄膜的研究

La3 掺杂纳米TiO2光催化剂后,用于固相光催化降解聚乙烯(PE)薄膜。在紫外线辐射288h后,0.1%La2O3/TiO2使薄膜失重14.5%,产生更多石蜡和CO2,SEM表明其对PE的光氧化腐蚀能力更强,在薄膜表面形成更大更多的凹坑和空洞,红外光谱表明PE薄膜中的-CH2和支链-CH3基团的吸收明显减少,0.1%La2O3/TiO2光催化剂使PE的C=O的吸收增大。La3 掺杂后,提高了纳米TiO2的光催化活性。     

DNA SYNTHESIS-KINETICS, CELL DIVISION DELAY, AND POST-REPLICATION REPAIR AFTER UV IRRADIATION OF FROZEN CELLS OF E. COLI B/r

Abstract— Previous studies have shown that the relative yields of photoproducts produced in the DNA of Escherichia coli cells UV irradiated at -79°C differ from those produced at +21°C; the yield of DNA-protein cross-links was markedly enhanced at -79°C while the yield of thymine dimers was reduced. In the present studies, cells of E. coli B/r thy were frozen at -79°C, and then UV irradiated (254nm) while frozen(4.7 J m^-2), or after thawing (22 Jm^-2). Essentially the same survival, cell division delay, and DNA synthesis kinetics were observed for these two samples after irradiation, even though the UV fluence differed by a factor of ˜5. This supports previous observations that a correlation exists between the magnitude of the effects of UV radiation upon DNA synthesis kinetics and on cell survival. The weight average molecular weight of the pulse labeled DNA in the sample irradiated at +21°C was one-half that of the sample irradiated at -79°C, and complete repair of daughter-strand gaps was observed in both cases. Thus, UV-induced lesions produced in cells at -79°C (i.e. DNA-protein cross-links) appear to be amenable to post-replicational repair. While the overall DNA synthesis kinetics were the same for the two irradiation procedures, the apparent number of lesions produced per unit length of DNA was not. This suggests that each of the lesions produced in frozen cells, although apparently fewer in number, must cause a longer local delay in DNA synthesis than those lesions produced at +21°C.     

融熔态聚乙烯辐射交联效果的溶液高分辨^13C NMR研究（Ⅱ）

研究了聚乙烯在低于凝胶化剂量的~(60)Co γ线辐照后,交联结构的形成及其影响因素。结果“H”、“Y”型交联链的生成不仅与辐照剂量有关,而且还与原试样中所含微量异种结构单元相关,但与试样的分子量无关。还讨论了融熔态聚乙烯的辐射交联机制。     

Quantitative determination of salbutamol in tablets by multiple-injection capillary zone electrophoresis

A multiple-injection capillary zone electrophoresis (MICZE) method has been developed for the assay of salbutamol in Ventoline Depot tablets (GlaxoSmithKline). In the developed method, seven sample sets, each consisting of three samples, were sequentially injected into the capillary and analyzed within a single run. This enabled a total of twenty-one sequential injections, i.e., six standards and fifteen samples, containing salbutamol and the injection marker oxprenolol. The injected sample plugs were separated by plugs of background electrolyte, through application of a short-term voltage (30kV) over the capillary for different time periods, i.e., t(PE1) and t(PE2). The samples in each set were isolated from each other by partial electrophoresis for 2.35min (t(PE1)), while the sample sets were separated for 10.50min (t(PE2)). After the final injection, all the applied samples were subjected to electrophoresis for a time period corresponding to that in conventional single-injection CZE. The method was validated regarding linearity, accuracy, precision and robustness before it was applied to the determination of salbutamol in 15 tablets of Ventoline Depot with a labeled content of 8mg salbutamol. The average salbutamol content was determined to 7.8mg (+/-0.3mg) from simultaneous analyses of the 15 different tablets.     

Vacuum Ultraviolet Irradiation of Polymers

The interest in incoherent sources for wavelength-selective photochemistry has increased lately, but little is still known about the behavior of polymers when exposed to far UV and vacuum UV (VUV) radiation. The same dearth of information exists regarding UV (VUV) radiation emitted by low-pressure plasmas during polymer treatment. In order to study VUV-UV effects on several polymers (polyethylene - PE, polystyrene - PS, hexatriacontane - HTC, and poly(methyl methacrylate) - PMMA), we have used the well-characterized emissions from hydrogen (broad-band emission) and hydrogen/argon mixture (near-monochromatic radiation) plasmas as light sources. During irradiation, samples were kept under vacuum or in a flow of pure oxygen at low pressure; in both cases the radiation fluxes at the sample position have been precisely determined by careful spectroscopic calibration experiments. We have employed a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to measure in-situ any possible mass change of the various polymers. Following irradiation, samples were analysed by ellipsometry (for thickness and refractive index), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, to evaluate the near-surface composition and content of various functional groups), and atomic force microscopy (AFM, for surface topography and roughness measurements).     

Preparation, testing and characterization of doped TiO2 active in the peroxidation of biomolecules under visible light

Doped TiO2 samples using different preparative procedures were synthesized using either urea or thiourea leading to N- or S-doped TiO2. Photocatalytic peroxidation and oxidation (mineralization) of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipid with doped TiO2 were carried out under light irradiation lambda > 410 nm. The formation of conjugated double bonds in PE molecules was followed to detect the formation of peroxy radicals (peroxidation index) under light excitation (lambda > 410 nm) when doped TiO2 was used. The kinetics of CO2 production was monitored during the mineralization of PE. Colored TiO2 powders were studied in detail by different and complementary physicochemical techniques. The band gap energies of colored TiO2 were determined by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The visible absorption shoulder of TiO2 was observed to follow Urbach's law. The variation of the transient decay after 354 nm laser pulse excitation does not correlate with the different N- and S-TiO2 doping levels introduced by the addition of urea or thiourea. This suggests that the states (recombination centers or traps) introduced by the doping are not effective in varying the decay kinetics within the nanosecond and microsecond time scale. Elemental analysis shows comparable amounts of S- and N-doping of TiO2 when thiourea is used as dopant. X-ray diffraction reveals no rutile in S-TiO2 samples heated to 600 degrees C, suggesting that the addition of sulfur precludes rutilization during sample crystallization. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the S-TiO2 samples confirms the preferential localization of S on the 20 topmost layers of S-TiO2 upon calcination at 500 degrees C for 2 h.     

Compatibilization of recycled and virgin PET with radiation-oxidized HDPE

Blends of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which cross-links on radiation, and both, recycled and pristine polyethylene terephtalate (PET), one of the most radiation-stable polymers, that contain aromatic groups, which are effective at dissipation of the energy of the ionizing radiation, were irradiated with gamma rays, in order to form a copolymer capable of improving the compatibility of the blend HDPE/PET. Due to the low content of the PET in the resulting copolymer, blends PET and radiation-oxidized HDPE, were also studied. The tensile and flexural properties were improved when the PET content was increased and when the HDPE was pre-irradiated; the largest increase in the mechanical properties was observed for PET contents between 10% and 20% (w/w). The improvement in the properties is believed to occur because of a percolation effect of the PET in the HDPE matrix and the radiation-improved compatibility by means of polar groups formed in the polyethylene. However, impact properties were observed to decrease when the PET content increased in spite of the irradiation.     

Evaluation of the rate of abiotic and biotic degradation of oxo-degradable polyethylene

The recent introduction of oxo-degradable additive in the Argentinean market has motivated the study of the effect of abiotic (temperature and ultraviolet (UV) radiation) and biotic (aerobic in compost) degradation on the structure and mechanical behavior of films of polyethylene (PE) and oxo-degradable polyethylene (PE+AD).Physico-chemical tests show that the failure strain and the carbonyl index of degraded PE and PE+AD samples depend on the UV irradiation dose. Furthermore, the additive plays a crucial role in the degradation and subsequent decay of the molecular weight.It was observed that, for the same dose, the most deteriorated material was the one exposed to the lowest irradiance, emphasizing the importance of the time of exposure to UV radiation. The ratio between the irradiance and the critical dose, is a characteristic time associated to the sharp decay on the failure strain. The critical dose decreases significantly when increasing the temperature of the photo-degradation assay.PE is more susceptible to thermal degradation than PE+AD; the latter only degrades under thermal aging at the highest temperature.Initially biotic degradation in compost showed an increasing production of carbon dioxide for both previously UV-degraded and untreated PE+AD. It is also remarkable that UV-degraded samples of PE and PE+AD with differences in their abiotic degradation level, reached the same final biotic degradation level. It was observed that although the additive increased the abiotic photodegradation, the molecular weight reduction in compost was not enough to reach the maximum biotic degradation level established by international standards for biodegradable materials.     

FUROCOUMARIN SENSITIZATION INDUCES DNA-PROTEIN CROSS-LINKS

The capacity of some linear and angular furocoumarins to induce DNA-protein cross-links by UVA (320–400 nm) irradiation has been evaluated in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Two linear furocoumarins, psoralen and 8-methoxypsoralen appeared to be capable of inducing DNA-protein cross-links to a noticeable extent. 4'-Methylangelicin and 4,4'-dimethylangelicin formed only reduced amounts of DNA-protein cross-links, while angelicin and 4,6,4'-trimethylangelicin seemed to be unable to induce significant levels of this lesion. The biological significance of this damage remains to be elucidated, but it might have an important role in furocoumarin sensitization. In the examined compounds, the capacity for inducing DNA-protein cross-links appears to be a property of the skin phototoxic furocoumarins. This result suggests the hypothesis of a connection between this damage and the formation of skin erythemas.     

Radiation effect on positronium formation in low-temperature polyethylene

The irradiation effect of γ-rays on polyethylene (PE) has been studied by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). In the case of non-irradiated PE samples, at a low temperature below the glass-transition temperature, the intensity of the long-lived component of positronium, I₃, increases due to an increase in the concentration of trapped electrons. However, the increase in I₃ obtained in a few MGy γ-irradiated samples became very small due to the effect of induced radicals. It has been observed that the trapped electrons were affected by the intensity of the positron sources used for a PALS experiment.     

Altering the hierarchical morphology distribution of injection molded polyethylene by the introduction of crosslink network and periodical shear

High density polyethylene (HDPE) with moderate content of crosslink network (CPE) was successfully prepared through chemical method. Specimens for structural characterization have been molded by conventional injection molding (CIM) and pressure vibration injection molding (PVIM). Influence of crosslink network on hierarchical morphology distribution and mechanical properties was systematically studied. Polarized light microscopy (PLM) revealed that both CIM and PVIM PE samples have a typical “skin-core” structure and the thickness of shear layer of CIM PE and PVIM CPE samples obviously increase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that shish-kebab structures are clearly observed in shear layer of CIM CPE sample, indicating that the crosslink network can surely improve the formation of shish-kebab structures. Moreover, we suppose that shish-kebab structures emerged in shear and core layer of PVIM CPE sample. Wideangle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) confirmed that more orientation and shish-kebab structures form even in core layer of PVIM CPE sample, which demonstrated that the hierarchical morphology was apparently altered by periodical shear and crosslink network. Finally, the mechanical properties revealed that this oriented structure increase the tensile strength from 31 MPa of CIM PE sample to 46 MPa of PVIM CPE sample. However, the tensile behavior tended to change from ductile fracture to brittle fracture.     

Surface properties of hydrosilylated polyolefins annealed in supercritical carbon dioxide

Two hydrosilylated polyolefin compounds are obtained by reacting polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) with di‐ and multi‐functional hydride‐terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (dH‐PDMS and mH‐PDMS), respectively. The PDMS‐rich surface layers on these two samples show different Si concentrations but similar thicknesses. Samples of these materials are annealed in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) at various temperatures and pressures for different periods of time. On the PP/dH‐PDMS sample, an increase in the annealing temperature does not affect the Si concentration up to 120°C. However, the Si concentration is sharply reduced at T = 150°C at which point the surface appears to be covered by SiO₂ particles. Annealing the PP/dH‐PDMS sample for short times leads to submicron scale SiO₂ particle formation on the surface. The particles form aggregated clusters that spread all over the surface uniformly when the annealing time is extended. However, Si concentration on the PE/mH‐PDMS sample surface is enhanced as the annealing temperature increases, reaching a maximum at an annealing temperature of 100°C. No particle formation is observed on the PE/mH‐PDMS sample surface. The contact angle of both samples is found to increase with annealing temperature. Increasing the scCO₂ pressure leads to a higher Si concentration on the surfaces of both samples. On the other hand, increasing the CO₂ pressure leads to opposite trends in contact angle with the PP/dH‐PDMS sample exhibiting an increasing contact angle and the PE/mH‐PDMS sample exhibiting a decreasing one. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of near-infrared and Raman spectroscopy for the determination of the density of polyethylene pellets

In this study, we compare near-infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy for the determination of the density of linear low density polyethylene (PE) (in a pellet form). As generally known, Raman spectral features are more selective than those of NIR for most chemical samples. NIR spectroscopy has been more extensively used for the quantitative analysis of polymers, but Raman spectroscopy is the better choice as long as the problem of reproducibility of Raman measurements (especially for solid samples), mostly resulting from insufficient sample representation due to probing only localized chemical information and the sensitivity of sample placement with regard to the focal plane, can be overcome. To improve sample representation and reproducibility of Raman measurements, we have employed the wide area illumination (WAI) Raman scheme, capable of illuminating a laser onto a large sample area (28.3 mm²) for Raman spectral collection (a 6-mm laser spot with a focal length of 248 mm). Diffuse reflectance NIR spectra of PE pellets were collected using a sample moving system which allowed for the scanning of large areas. The prediction error was 0.0008 g cm⁻³ for Raman spectroscopy and 0.0011 g cm⁻³ for NIR spectroscopy. The harmonization of inherently selective Raman features and a reproducible spectral collection with correct sample representations using the WAI scheme led to an accurate determination of the density of the PE pellets.     

HALS和抗氧剂对PE辐射致色的影响

聚乙烯;稳定剂;HALS和抗氧剂对PE辐射致色的影响     

Simultaneous Enhancement of Mechanical and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Natural Rubber/Recycled Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Rubber Blends by Electron Beam Irradiation

Mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of natural rubber/recycled ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (NR/R-EPDM) blends were simultanoeusly enhanced by electron beam (EB) irradiation. The cross-linking promoter, trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA), was also introduced into the blends to induce the cross-linking. By applying EB irradiation, the tensile modulus, hardness, swelling, cross-link density, and storage modulus increased with increase in the irradiation dose; an irradiation dose of 50 kGy was efficient to gain optimum tensile strength. The formation of irradiation-induced cross-links after EB irradiation is a major concern for the enhancement of mechanical, swelling resistance, and dynamic mechanical properties of the blends.     

8-METHOXYPSORALEN-PHOTOINDUCED DNA CROSSLINKS AS DETERMINED IN YEAST BY ALKALINE STEP ELUTION UNDER DIFFERENT REIRRADIATION CONDITIONS. RELATION WITH GENETIC EFFECTS

Abstract— DNA damage induced by 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) plus near UV light (UVA) was analyzed in diploid yeast using the alkaline step elution technique. The presence of 8-MOP and UVA induced DNA interstrand cross-links was revealed by the increase of DNA retained on elution filters as compared to untreated controls. The fraction of DNA retained on filters increased linearly with UVA dose. The amount of cross-links was estimated from the fraction of DNA retained on filters using a dose of -radiation leading to a number of DNA strand breaks at least equivalent to the number of 8-MOP induced photoadducts.
When 8-MOP treated cells were exposed to monochromatic light, 365 nm light induced monoadducts and cross-links whereas 405 nm light induced only monoadducts. When submitting 8-MOP plus 405 nm light treated cells to 365 nm irradiation, after removal of unbound 8-MOP by washing, a portion of 8-MOP plus 405 nm light induced monoadducts was converted into cross-links. The amount of monoadducts transformed into cross-links was dependent on the dose of 365 nm irradiation up to a maximum likely to correspond to the number of suitably positioned furan-side monoadducts that could be converted into biadducts. When 8-MOP plus 365 nm light treated cells were reirradiated with 365 nm light, following the same protocol, the maximum level of cross-linking obtainable in yeast was lower than that obtained with 8-MOP in a 405 nm plus 365 nm reirradiation protocol.
In the presence of 8-MOP single exposures to 405 nm light were found to be only slightly genotoxic. However, when followed by second exposures to 365 nm light, a dose-dependent increase in genetic effects, i.e. mutation and gene conversion, was observed in parallel to the induction of DNA crosslinks. These results stress again the prominent role of DNA cross-links in the genotoxicity of 8-MOP.     

High-Flux Irradiation of Open Samples

The irradiation of large samples of biological material in a high neutron flux enables the extention of trace element analysis into the ng to pg range, but raises several problems as gamma heating and radiolysis degrade the samples. Gamma heating increases the pressure to a point where either a very large irradiation container is necessary or a container which can endure the high pressure. Several methods to overcome these problems have been published. The irradiation of open samples was performed as an alternative to these methods. Temperature effects on biological material during irradiation in a high and in a low neutron flux were compared. As an example, wheat was irradiated in open containers allowing simultaneous temperature measurement in the sample during irradiation.