Effects of gamma and electron beam irradiation on polymer electrolytes

Polymer electrolytes based on poly(ethylene oxide) and lithium salts have been widely studied in recent years. In order to enhance the room temperature ionic conductivity of PEO-LiX complexes, various techniques, such as addition of plasticizers and crown ether, and also irradiation by γ and electron beams have been investigated. The enhancement of the conductivity by irradiation has been accounted for the decreasing of the crystallinity of PEO-LiX. We reviewed these results and have investigated the degradation processes of PEO using Tb³⁺ fluorescence probes. We have also studied on the effects of irradiation of polymers such as poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA) and PEO using Tb⁺³ fluorescence probe. Various monomers containing SO₃H and COOH have been grafted on poly(ethylene oxide) using irradiation technique. The structures and ionic conductivities of Li and Na salts of irradiated products were investigated in detail.     

Effects of gamma and electron beam irradiation on the properties of calendered cord fabrics

The effects of gamma and e-beam irradiation on mechanical and structural properties of nylon 66 (Ny 66), nylon 6 (Ny 6) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabrics used in tyres were investigated. The untreated (greige), treated cords and calendered fabrics were irradiated at different doses. It is found that the effects of high energy irradiation on greige, treated cords and calendered fabrics are similar. No protective effect of compounds used in calendering was observed against radiation-induced oxidative degradation. The deterioration effect of gamma irradiation on mechanical properties is much higher than that of e-beam irradiation for all types of samples. Limiting viscosity numbers of both gamma and e-beam irradiated nylon 6 and nylon 66 cords were found to decrease with increasing dose. It is concluded that PET calendered fabric has higher resistance to ionizing radiation. Ny 6 and Ny 66 calendered fabrics are more sensitive even at low doses. Therefore, the effects of high energy irradiation on tyre cords have to be taken into consideration during tyre design reinforced with particularly Ny fabrics if pre-vulcanization with high energy radiation is to be applied.     

Crosslinking of recycled polyethylene by gamma and electron beam irradiation

Recycling of polymeric materials is usually accompanied by degradation and deleterious properties. Irradiation crosslinking of recycling low density polyethylene by electron beam and gamma rays could be the solution to improve their properties. This paper presents a comparison on the effects of gamma and electron irradiation on virgin and recycled polyethylene. Their mechanical, thermal and chemical properties were analyzed. VPE samples shown higher crosslinking percentages than RPE samples in all range of doses studied, unirradiated RPE samples had higher values on their tensile properties than VPE. Percentage crystallinity was similar in all range of doses studied.     

Application of gamma irradiation for inactivation of three pathogenic bacteria inoculated into meatballs

In this research, the effect of gamma irradiation on the inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ATCC 33150), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 2392) and Salmonella typhimurium (NRRL 4463) inoculated into Tekirdag meatballs was investigated. The meatball samples were inoculated with pathogens and irradiated at the absorbed doses of 1, 2.2, 3.2, 4.5 and 5.2 kGy. E. coli O157:H7 count in 1 kGy irradiated meatballs stored in the refrigerator for 7 days was detected to be 4 log cfu/g lower than the count in nonirradiated samples (p<0.05). S. aureus counts were decreased to 4 log cfu/g after being exposed to irradiation at a dose of 1 kGy. Although it was ineffective on elimination of S. typhimurium, irradiation at a dose of 3.2 kGy reduced E. coli O157:H7 and S. aureus counts under detectable values in the meatballs. However, none of the test organisms were detected in the samples after irradiation with 4.5 kGy doses.     

Modelling molecular weight changes induced in polydimethylsiloxane by gamma and electron beam irradiation

A commercial linear polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was subject to gamma irradiation under vacuum and in air, as well as to accelerated electron beam radiolysis (EB). All irradiation treatments were done at room temperature. The molecular weight changes induced by the radiation processes have been investigated using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with refraction index (RI) and multi angle laser light scattering (MALLS) detectors to obtain the number and weight average molecular weights of the irradiated samples.

The analysis of the data indicates that crosslinking reactions predominated over scission reactions in all cases. Gamma irradiation under vacuum was the most efficient process within the analyzed dose range, reaching the gel point earlier. Irradiation in the presence of oxygen induces oxidative effects, both in gamma and EB irradiations. A previously developed mathematical model of the irradiation process that accounts for simultaneous scission and crosslinking and allows for both H and Y crosslinks fitted well the measured molecular weight data.     

Effects of electron beam irradiation of cellulose acetate cigarette filters

A method to reduce the molecular weight of cellulose acetate used in cigarette filters by using electron beam irradiation is demonstrated. Radiation levels easily obtained with commercially available electron accelerators result in a decrease in average molecular weight of about six-times with no embrittlement, or significant change in the elastic behavior of the filter. Since a first step in the biodegradation of cigarette filters is reduction in the filter material's molecular weight this invention has the potential to allow the production of significantly faster degrading filters.     

Effects of electron beam irradiation on microbial contamination and quality of Shengmai Yin

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - In this study, Shengmai Yin (SMY) was irradiated at doses of 2, 3, 5, and 7&nbsp;kGy of electron-beam, to investigate the effects of electron...     

Effects of electron beam irradiation on poly(butylene adipate)diol

Effects of electron beam (EB) irradiation on poly(butylene adipate)diol (PBAD) were studied by means of GPC, DSC, and X-ray diffractometry. Below 5 Mrad, chain scission predominantly occurs, while above 10 Mrad, crosslinking and chain scission take place in parallel. Structure of EB-irradiated PBAD is mainly characterized by the main reactions, degradation and crosslinking. Crystallinity of PBAD increased by EB irradiation. This phenomenon was explained by reorganization due to high molecular mobility of EB-irradiated PBAD. But, increment of crystallinity decreased with increasing dose because of formation of crosslinking, excessive degradation and thermal effect of EB. As the result, the crystallinity of EB-irradiated PBAD with a high dose becomes lower than that of original PBAD by thermal treatment.     

Effects of electron beam irradiation on the microbial growth and quality of beef jerky during storage

Electron beam irradiation was applied to improve the microbial safety of beef jerky during storage. Beef jerky samples were irradiated at doses of 1, 3, 5, and 10 kGy and stored at 20 °C for 60 d. Microbiological data indicated that the populations of total aerobic bacteria significantly decreased with increasing irradiation dosage. In particular, the populations of total aerobic bacteria were significantly decreased by 1.76 log CFU/g at 10 kJ/m², compared to the control. Color measurements showed reduced Hunter L and a values of beef jerky for all the treatments during storage, and the Hunter L, a, and b values of beef jerky were not significantly different among the treatments. Sensory evaluation results also showed that electron beam irradiation did not affect sensory scores in overall during storage. Therefore, the results suggest that electron beam irradiation could be useful in improving the microbial safety without impairing the quality of beef jerky during storage.     

Effects of electron beam irradiation on cork volatile compounds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Summary The effects of electron beam irradiation on cork volatile compounds was studied at different doses (25, 100, 1000 kGy). Volatiles were isolated from cork using the dynamic headspace-sampling technique, then identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Similar gas chromatographic profiles were obtained for non-irradiated and irradiated corks. Quantitative differences induced by the three doses were evaluated by calculating peak areas for each compound identified. The quantitative differences between non-irradiated corks and those irradiated at 25 kGy were significant for only a few substances, whereas significant quantitative differences were found in samples irradiated at 100 and 1000 kGy. For these doses, the content of volatile compounds generally increased, especially that of aliphatic hydrocarbons and carbonyl compounds. The behaviour of radiolytic hydrocarbons indicates that the mechanisms proposed for their formation in irradiated foods could take place even in cork.     

Effects of electron beam irradiation on the photoelectrochemical properties of TiO2 film for DSSCs

TiO₂ has been widely utilized for various industrial applications such as photochemical cells, photocatalysts, and electrochromic devices. The crystallinity and morphology of TiO₂ films play a significant role in determining the overall efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, the preparation of nanostructured TiO₂ films by electron beam irradiation and their characterization were investigated for the application of DSSCs. TiO₂ films were exposed to 20–100 kGy of electron beam irradiation using 1.14 MeV energy acceleration with a 7.46 mA beam current and 10 kGy/pass dose rates. These samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. After irradiation, each TiO₂ film was tested as a DSSC. At low doses of electron beam irradiation (20 kGy), the energy conversion efficiency of the film was approximately 4.0% under illumination of simulated sunlight with AM 1.5 G (100 mW/cm²). We found that electron beam irradiation resulted in surface modification of the TiO₂ films, which could explain the observed increase in the conversion efficiency in irradiated versus non-irradiated films.     

Comparison of the changes of the antigenicities of a hen's egg albumin by a gamma and an electron beam irradiation

The study was conducted to compare the radiation types of a gamma ray and an electron beam for the inhibition and reduction of a food allergy. OVA (2 mg/ml) were irradiated at 3, 5, 7 and 10 kGy. Patterns detected by the SDS-PAGE and an immunoblot showed that the intact OVA band disappeared and that it was dependant upon the radiation doses regardless of the radiation types. Binding abilities of the irradiated OVA against the monoclonal IgG and the egg allergic patients’ IgE decreased due to a conformational change of the epitope, but differences from using the two different radiation types were not observed. The results indicate that both the radiation types can be used for an inhibition and a reduction of a food allergy regardless of the radiation types.     

Effects of solvent polarity on mutual styrene grafting onto polypropylene by electron beam irradiation

Radiation induced mutual grafting of styrene onto polypropylene has been carried using several grafting solutions with different organic solvents and polarity levels. In the mixture of styrene and protic polar solvents high grafting yields were obtained. This behavior suggests that grafting process does not have dependence on swelling of the substrate, something that is expected when a non-polar substrate and a non-polar media are in contact. In this case, the grafting yield may be related to the free radical generation at protic polar solvent; these reactive specimens start the reaction on substrate surface to allow the accessibility of monomer species to active sites. Some reaction mechanisms are proposed.     

Effect of electron beam irradiation on physico-chemical properties of pullulan

Many widely used polymers undergo main chain scission or crosslinking when exposed to radiation. Effects of electron beam irradiation at different doses up to 500?kGy on the biodegradable pullulan polymer films have been investigated by ultraviolet?Cvisible (UV?CVIS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. UV?CVisible study shows increase of optical absorbance with increase of doses, attributing to the formation some groups or radicals. FTIR and TGA results reveal the processes of both crosslinking and degradation of polymer taking place depending upon the dose of e-beam radiation. The surface morphology of the film is found to be altered by the e-beam radiation as indicated by SEM micrographs.     

Effects of gamma irradiation on solid and lyophilised phospholipids

The effects of gamma irradiation (25 kGy) as a sterilisation method for phospholipids (distearoylphosphatidylcholine and distearoylphosphatidylglycerol) were investigated. ³¹P-NMR revealed minor chemical degradation of the phospholipids but lower dynamic viscosity and pseudoplasticity, lower turbidity, higher diffusion constant, smaller size, more negative zeta potential and changes in the phase transition behaviour of the subsequently produced liposomes were observed. The observed changes could to some extent be explained by the irradiation-induced degradation products (distearoylphosphatidic acid, fatty acids, lysophospholipids).     

Oxidation of gaseous styrene by electron beam irradiation

In this research, the absorbed dose, background gases, relative humidity, and initial concentrations were selected as control factors to discover decomposition characteristics of styrene using electron beam irradiation. It was confirmed that a considerable amount of styrene was removed by primary electrons as well as radicals and ions, which were produced after the electron beam irradiation. Moreover, the removal efficiencies of styrene were observed to rise when the initial concentration was lower, moisture content was higher, and the absorbed dose increased. For instance, 50 ppmv styrene showed extremely high removal efficiency (over 98%) at a condition of 2.5 kGy. A small amount of styrene oxide, benzaldehyde, aerosol, CO, and CO₂ were produced as by-products after EB irradiation.     

Changes of biodiesel composition after electron beam irradiation

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - The study of the influence of external factors on FAME is increasingly being taken up with research topics. Under natural conditions, they are...     

Modification of fluoropolymers by means of electron beam irradiation

High molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is transformed to free-flowing micropowder by treatment with electron beams. In case of irradiation in presence of air carboxylic acid fluoride groups are incorporated which rapidly hydrolyze to carboxylic groups in the surface-near regions due to atmospheric humidity. These polar groups reduce the hydrophobic and oleophobic properties so much that homogeneous compounding with other materials becomes possible. In addition to PTFE, copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene with hexafluoropropylene (FEP) and perfluoropropylvinylether (PFA) were modified. In case of identical irradiation conditions, the concentration of carboxylic groups is much higher in FEP and PFA than in PTFE, which is due to the lower crystallinity of the copolymers.

Electron beam irradiation of PTFE was performed in vacuum at elevated temperature above the melting point. The changes in the chemical structure were studied. The concentration of CF₃ branches was found to be much higher as compared to room temperature irradiation.

In a practical test PTFE micropowders functionalized by electron irradiation were compounded with epoxy resins, with polyoximethylene and with polyamides. Such compounds are characterized by very good frictional and wearing behaviour in dry-running tests.     

Effects of aeration on gamma irradiation of sewage sludge

In this paper the effect of aeration on gamma irradiation of sewage sludge was investigated to examine the potential solubilization of solids in sewage sludge to ultimately reduce the solids volume for disposal. Results showed that aeration increased the effectiveness of gamma radiation. The efficiency of sludge solubilization with aeration was increased by around 25% compared to that without aeration at an irradiation dose of 2.5–9 kGy. The soluble protein, polysaccharide and humic (like) substance concentrations were higher under aerated conditions. With aeration the overall reaction appears to be oxidative as evidenced by the higher nitrate and nitrite ion concentrations in solution.     

Biodegradability enhancement of textile wastewater by electron beam irradiation

Textile wastewater generally contains various pollutants, which can cause problems during biological treatment. Electron beam radiation technology was applied to enhance the biodegradability of textile wastewater for an activated sludge process. The biodegradability (BOD₅/COD) increased at a 1.0 kGy dose. The biorefractory organic compounds were converted into more easily biodegradable compounds such as organic acids having lower molecular weights. In spite of the short hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the activated sludge process, not only high organic removal efficiencies, but also high microbial activities were achieved. In conclusion, textile wastewater was effectively treated by the combined process of electron beam radiation and an activated sludge process.