Abstract
The effects of g-irradiation on solid poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) of an initial weight-average molecular weight of 6.3.105 Da were investigated by gel permeation chromatography and viscometry. The parameters studied were changes in number- and weight-average molecular weight, molecular weight distribution and viscosity of PEO in aqueous solution. Irradiation of poly(ethylene oxide) powder in the presence of oxygen leads to the dominance of chain scission reactions. Their high radiation-chemical yield [G(scission) » 2.5.10-6 mol/J] indicates the occurrence of effective chain reactions. Upon irradiation in vacuum, crosslinking and scission occur side-by-side and the changes in molecular weight are less pronounced in the studied dose range (up to 20 kGy). Scission dominates for doses up to ca. 15 kGy, while for higher doses intermolecular crosslinking gains in importance. The competition between these processes seems to depend not only on the applied dose but also to be influenced by the inhomogenity of the material (molecular weight and/or possibly the crystallinity). Parallel occurrence of scission and crosslinking leads to the broadening of the molecular weight distribution.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
A. APICELLA, M. A. DEL NOBLE, G. MENSITIERE, L. NICOLAIS, B. CAPELLO, M. LA ROTONDA, Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) constant release monolithic devices, in: Polymers in Medicine R. M. OTTENBRITE, E. CHIELLINI (Eds), Technomic, Pennsylvania, 1992, p. 23.
A. CHARLESBY, Atomic Radiation and Polymers, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1960.
M. DOLE, The Radiation Chemistry of Macromolecules, Vol. 2, Academic Press, New York, 1973.
N. B. GRAHAM, Poly(ethylene oxide) and related hydrogels, in: Hydrogels in Medicine and Pharmacy N. A. PEPPAS (Ed.), CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 1987, II-95.
H. KASHIWABARA, T. SEGUCHI, Radiation-induced oxidation of plastic in radiation processing of polymer, in: Radiation Processing of Polymers, A. SINGH, J. SILVERMAN, (Eds), Carl Hanser Verlag, 1992, p. 221.
P. A. KING, J. A. WARD, J. Polym. Sci., 8A (1970) 253.
E. W. MERRIL, K. A. WRIGHT, A. SAGAR, W. PEKALA, K. A. DENNISON, S-W. TAY, C. SUNG, E. CHAIKOF, P. REMPP, A. D. LUTZ CALLOW, R. CONNOLY, G. RAMBERG, S. VERDON, Version of immobilized poly(ethylene oxide) for medical applications, in: Polymers in Medicine, R. M. OTTENBRITE, E. CHEILLINI (Eds), Technomic, Pennsylvania, 1992, p. 39.
E. W. MERRIL, K. A. DENNISON, C. SUNG, Biomaterials, 14 (1993) 1117.
L. MINKOVA, R. STAMENOVA, C. TSVETANOV, E. NEDCOV, J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Phys., 27 (1989) 621.
J. ROSIAK, J. Controlled Release, 31 (1994) 9.
J. M. ROSIAK, F. YOSHII, Nucl. Instr. Meth., B151 (1999) 56.
J. M. ROSIAK, P. ULANSKI, Radiat. Phys. Chem., 55 (1999) 139.
W. SCHNABEL, Polymer Degradation: Principles and Practical Applications, Hanser, München, 1981.
W. SCHNABEL, Radiat. Phys. Chem., 28 (1986) 303.
P. ULANSKI, ZAINUDDIN, J. M. ROSIAK, Radiat. Phys. Chem., 46 (1995) 913.
P. ULANSKI, ZAINUDDIN, J. M. ROSIAK, Radiat. Phys. Chem., 46 (1995) 917.
H-C. YANG, J. SILVERMAN, Radiat. Phys. Chem., 25 (1985) 37.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zainuddin, Albinska, J., Ulański, P. et al. Radiation-induced degradation and crosslinking of poly(ethylene oxide) in solid state. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 253, 339–344 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020406930244
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020406930244