Thermal and spectroscopic study of irradiated polymeric systems

Abstract In this study, different polymer systems, including polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate (EVA) formulations, were exposed to gamma radiation. Spectroscopic analysis using FTIR revealed that these polymers retained their functional groups even after high doses of radiation. However, UV-Vis analysis indicated that gamma irradiation caused a significant increase in the yellowing and darkening index of standard PC, attributed to the formation of radiolytic species. The presence of radiostabilizing compounds reduced these effects on optical properties by 45%. Thermogravimetric analysis was conducted to determine parameters for thermal degradation and the activation energy of PC and EVA, showing that gamma irradiation could impact the kinetics of pyrolysis reactions in polymer systems.