Formation of CO2 gas and OH groups in CR-39 plastics due to gamma-ray and ions irradiation

Structural, Thermal, and Optical Studies of Gamma Irradiated Polyvinyl Alcohol-, Lignosulfonate-, and Palladium Nanocomposite Film

Nanocomposite (NC) films of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), lignosulfonate (Lg), and nanosized palladium (Pd) were synthesized by ex-situ casting method. Samples from the synthesized PVA-Lg/Pd NC films were irradiated with 5–100 kGy γ doses. The effect of γ doses on the structural, thermal, and optical characteristics of the NC films were studied using different characterization techniques. The results indicated that the γ irradiation improves the decomposition temperature from 227 to 239 °C, signifying an increase in the thermal stability of the NC films. This was accompanied by a reduction of the melting temperature due to the increase of the amorphous phase. This can be attributed to the dominance of crosslinking. On the other hand, the refractive index increased from 2.21 to 2.32 while increasing the γ dose up to 100 kGy. This was associated with a reduction of the optical bandgap from 3.49 to 3.30 eV, which could be attributed to the increase in the amorphous phase as a result of crosslinking. This indicates an enhancement of the spreading of the NPs inside the blend matrix due to γ irradiation. This results in a more compacted construction of the PVA-Lg/Pd NC films. Furthermore, we used the Commission Internationale de E’Claire (CIE) method to estimate the change in color among the irradiated NC films and the pristine film. The PVA-Lg/Pd NC attained a significant color difference value greater than five, meaning permanent color changes.

MODIFICATION INDUCED BY PROTON IRRADIATION IN BAYFOL UV1 7-2 NUCLEAR TRACK DETECTOR

Bayfol is a class of polymeric solid state nuclear track detector which has many applications in various radiation detection fields. It is a Makrofol polycarbonate/polyester blend. Samples from Bayfol film have been irradiated with different fluences (1011-1014 p/cm2) of 1 MeV protons at the University of Surrey Ion Beam Center, UK. The resultant effect of proton irradiation on the structural and optical properties of the Bayfol samples has been investigated using X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared and UV spectroscopy. The optical energy gap was decreased from 4.24 to 4.03 eV with increasing the proton fluence from 1011 to 1013 p/cm2, and was accompanied by an increase in the Urbach energy from 0.79 to 1.29 eV. This could be correlated to the results obtained from XRD and FTIR spectroscopy. Further, the non-irradiated Bayfol is nearly colorless. It showed significant sensitivity to color by proton irradiation, associated with an increase in the red and yellow color components. The variation of optical and color parameters with the proton fluence indicate that the dynamic range of Bayfol UV1 7-2 is in the fluence range from 1011 to 1013 p/cm2.

STUDYING THE STRUCTURAL, OPTICAL, CHEMICAL AND ELECTROCHEMICAL ETCHING CHANGES OF CR-39 FOR DOSEMETRIC APPLICATIONS

The present work shows the induced modification of the structural, optical, chemical etching and electrochemical etching parameters of CR-39 irradiated with alpha-particles. CR-39 polymer track detectors were irradiated with different fluences (1.62 × 106, 2.72 × 106, 3.82 × 106 and 5.21 × 106 particles/cm2) of alpha-particles using 241Am source. The structural and optical properties were measured by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and UV/Vis spectroscopy, respectively. The FT-IR spectra reveal that no major changes in the typical functional groups of irradiated polymer detectors. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that a broad band in the region of 12° < 2θ > 27°, which refers to the presence of the combination of amorphous and crystalline phases. UV/Vis responses of irradiated polymer track detectors exhibit a single absorption band in the range of 254-352 nm that is correlated to the occurrence of electronic transition. Also, the changes in the chemical and electrochemical parameters due to alpha-irradiation are examined and thoroughly discussed.

The optical, wettability and hardness properties of polyethylene improved by alpha particle irradiations

In this work, the optical, chemical and morphological changes of alpha irradiated low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were investigated using UV/Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). In addition to, the wettability and Vicker's Micro-Hardness have been studied using the contact angle measurements and Vicker's Micro-Hardness tester. The polymer samples are irradiated with different times of alpha particles. UV/Vis spectra show that the absorbance increases with increase in the irradiation time and the absorption edge shifts toward the higher wavelength. This indicates to a decrease in the optical band gap energy and an increase in number of carbon clusters. FTIR analysis reveals that the formation of CH groups and O-H has been observed and also indicated the presence of unsaturations due to vinyl end groups in the irradiated samples. Noticeable decreases in the contact angle of irradiated samples were observed. This decrease reflects the increase in the wettability and consequently the surface free energy. This behavior is due to the formation of oxidized layer on the irradiated surface polymer. Induced increasing in the Vicker's hardness in the irradiated polymers was observed, that can be attributed to crosslinking effects in the chain of the polymers.