Abstract
CONSIDERABLE attention has recently been given to the effects of high-energy radiation on polymeric substances1. The effects would appear to be of the same fundamental character whether X-rays, electron bombardment, or the mixed radiations of the atomic pile are used; it is reported that in the absence of oxygen the dominant reactions are either cross-linking or chain-scission, and polymers have been classified according to their behaviour in these respects when irradiated. Some of the most interesting effects have been observed in polythene, where cross-linking causes major changes in physical and mechanical properties, particularly at temperatures above the crystalline melting point.
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BASKETT, A., MILLER, C. Electron Irradiation of Polythene. Nature 174, 364–365 (1954). https://doi.org/10.1038/174364a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/174364a0
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