Radiation-Induced Copolymerization of Styrene and Cellulose at Low Dose Rates

A study has been made of the radiation-induced grafting of styrene to cellulose in the presence of cobalt 40 gamma irradiation at low total doses and dose rates. For copolymerization, What mans 41 filter paper was immersed in solutions of styrene in methanol at various monomer concentrations. The dose rates were varied from 140 to 3100 rads/hr while the total dose varied from lo³ to 2 × 10⁵ rads.

In the presence of oxygen the grafting results showed considerable scatter, but a statistical analysis revealed that at all concentrations a linear relationship existed between total dose and graft %. Three factors contributing to the variance about the regression line were examined. Residual oxygen in the solution, while not important at high dose rates, was shown markedly to contribute to the variance in the range examined. A linear dose-rate effect involving a decrease in graft with increasing dose rate was demonstrated. A LET effect also contributed to the over-all variance. Preliminary results indicate the presence of a maximum which may be a Trommsdorff effect.