The effects of high energy electron beam irradiation on the thermal, mechanical, structural and physicochemical

Abstract

Polypropylene (PP) is occasionally used for packaging and manufacturing medical devices. Such applications require sterilization to be carried out prior to use and a method that is becoming widely established is radiation due to its reliability and effectiveness. The aim of this paper is to investigate the potential effects of electron beam irradiation ranging between 25 and 200kGy for unstabilised PP. Sample of PP were subjected to a wide range of extensive characterization technique such as tensile strength, impact strength, modulated differential scanning colorimetry, melt flow index, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, rheology, x-ray diffraction, colorimetry, shore D hardness , oxidative inductive time, goniometry and accelerated aging.