Vitamin C hinders radiation cross-linking in aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a promising semi-crystalline material for biomedical applications. It is soluble in water and can be formed into hydrogels by freezing and thawing or crystallizing from an aqueous theta solution such as that of polyethylene glycol (PEG). Radiation cross-linking caused by sterilization or high dose irradiation of concentrated PVA solutions could compromise some properties of these hydrogels. Therefore, we hypothesized that radiation cross-linking of PVA solutions and PVA-PEG theta gels could be prevented by using the antioxidant vitamin C as an anticross-linking agent. Our hypothesis tested positive. Vitamin C concentrations of 0.75 and 4.5 mol/mol of PVA repeating unit could prevent cross-linking in 17.5 wt/v% PVA solutions made with PVA molecular weight of 115,000 g/mol irradiated to 25 and 100 kGy, respectively. Vitamin C also prevented cross-linking in 25 kGy irradiated PVA-PEG theta gels containing up to 5 wt% PEG and decreased the viscosity of those up to 39 wt%.     

Experimental study of the response of radiochromic films to proton radiation of low energy

We have investigated the response of radiochromic films (MD-55 and HD-810) exposed to protons of 0.6 MeV. Each film is bombarded with a proton beam in an angular geometry, in such a way that the absorbed dose is related to angle. Depending on the energy and the angular fluence, the irradiated volume is total or partial. We compare the dose of these irradiated films with fully irradiated films exposed to γ radiation from a ⁶⁰Co calibrated source.     

Effectiveness of DOP mobilizer on the radiolysis of a semi-crystalline ethylene-propylene copolymer

The role of dioctyl phthalate, DOP, added as a radiation stabilizer (mobilizer) to a commercial, medical grade polypropylene has been examined by FTIR and XPS analyses. It was found that the DOP degraded during γ-irradiation to a sterilization dose under vacuum at 298 K and that the degradation products, which included a variety of oxygenated and aromatic compounds, diffused to the polymer surface.     

RTL study of structural modifications in irradiated PTFE

The exposure of polytetrafluorethylene to the action of high energy radiation is examined by radiation thermoluminescence. The radiolysis causes the formation of various traps, which correspond to four maxima in the glow curve of PTFE. The activation energy of molecular motion is discussed. The modification of emission intensity at a large dose range is evaluated for three glow maxima that appear at 139, 173 and 205 K. The RTL emission is correlated with different types of oxygenated products that are formed during the radiolysis of PTFE. Changes in other properties like molecular mass, density, crystallinity are investigated for emphasizing the radiodegradation in this matrix. The mechanism of RTL emission is explained by the recombination of thermalized electrons with positive intermediates.     

The influence of the structure imperfectness of a crystalline undulator on the emission spectrum

We study the influence of an imperfect structure of a crystalline undulator on the spectrum of the undulator radiation. The main attention is paid to the undulators in which the periodic bending in the bulk appears as a result of a regular (periodic) surface deformations. We demonstrate that this method of preparation of a crystalline undulator inevitably leads to a variation of the bending amplitude over the crystal thickness and to the presence of the subharmonics with smaller bending period. Both of these features noticeably influence the monochromatic pattern of the undulator radiation.     

High gamma dose response of the electrical properties of polyethylene terephthalate thin films

Electrical properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), irradiated with gamma rays, have been investigated. The PET films were irradiated with high gamma dose levels in the range from 100 to 2000 kGy. The changes in the DC (σ_DC) and the ac (σ_ac) conductivities, with the dose, have been performed. The effect of gamma irradiation on the dielectric constant (ε′) and loss (ε″) has been determined. Also, the dose dependence of the frequency exponent index (S), the resonance frequency (Fc) and the hopping frequency (ω_P) have been obtained. The obtained results show that increasing gamma dose leads to slight increase in σ_DC, σ_ac and ε′, while no change was observed in ε″ value. Meanwhile, S, Fc and ω_P are inversely proportional to the dose. Accordingly, the study suggests the possibility of using PET films in electronic components (capacitors, resistors, etc.), especially that operate at high gamma dose environments for the frequency independent applications.     

Photon emission in crystalline undulators

We briefly review the achievements made in the theory of a crystalline undulator as well as the progress made towards experimental study of the phenomenon.     

Radiation effects on styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer

Styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer (SBS) of different configuration and block ratio were irradiated by ⁶⁰Co γ-rays at 20 °C and 120 °C. The gel fraction and thermal properties before and after irradiation were discussed. The gel fraction increased with both absorbed doses and temperature. This means higher crosslinking efficiency was obtained at higher temperature. The radiation chemical yields were calculated according to the Charlesby-Pinner equation. The DSC analysis indicated that the crosslinking had taken place in the polybutadiene (PB) block while the chain scission of polystyrene (PS) block was dominant when irradiated at elevated temperature.     

The role of IAEA in coordinating research and transferring technology in radiation chemistry and processing of polymers

The IAEA has been playing a significant role in fostering developments in radiation technology in general and radiation processing of polymers in particular, among its Member States (MS) and facilitate know-how/technology transfer to developing MS. The former is usually achieved through coordinated research projects (CRP) and thematic technical meetings, while the latter is mainly accomplished through technical cooperation (TC) projects. Coordinated research projects encourage research on, and development and practical application of, radiation technology to foster exchange of scientific and technical information. The technical cooperation (TC) programme helps Member States to realize their development priorities through the application of appropriate radiation technology.The IAEA has implemented several coordinated research projects (CRP) recently, including one on-going project, in the field of radiation processing of polymeric materials. The CRPs facilitated the acquisition and dissemination of know-how and technology for controlling of degradation effects in radiation processing of polymers, radiation synthesis of stimuli-responsive membranes, hydrogels and absorbents for separation purposes and the use of radiation processing to prepare biomaterials for applications in medicine.The IAEA extends cooperation to well-known international conferences dealing with radiation technology to facilitate participation of talented scientists from developing MS and building collaborations. The IAEA published technical documents, covering the findings of thematic technical meetings (TM) and coordinated research projects have been an important source of valuable practical information.     

Gamma-rays irradiation effects on polysulfone at high temperature

The temperature dependence of the irradiation effects on polysulfone was studies by measuring the molecular weight, glass transition temperature, gel fraction and evolved gas. Polysulfone was irradiated with gamma-rays at room temperature, 100, 150, 180 and 210 °C. The change of molecular weight distribution and glass transition temperature showed occurrences of a main chain scission at room temperature and cross-linking at high temperature. The decrease of gel dose, the increases of gel fraction and total gas evolution with increasing temperature was observed. The evolution of CO, CO₂ and SO₂ gases increased at high temperature, while yield of evolved H₂ was independent of irradiation temperature. The probability of the cross-linking was clearly increased by irradiation at high temperature above 180 °C, though the chain scission was not changed very much.     

Radiation effects on hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate in aqueous system

A water-insoluble cellulose derivative, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP) hydrogels, was converted to Na type to form hydrogel in paste-like status by radiation crosslinking. Mechanism for radiation crosslinking of cellulose-derivatives in paste-like status was discussed. Crosslinkers, i.e. methyl N,N-bis-acrylamide (MBA) or ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) has been used to decrease gelation dose (Dg) of synthesis HPMCP hydrogels and improve its mechanical properties. HPMCP-MBA hydrogels were found to be more rigid and HPMCP-EGDMA hydrogels were more flexible. Swelling degree of HPMCP hydrogel in many kinds of salt solutions followed Hofmeister series, which is ubiquitous in polyelectrolyte hydrogel. Specific reswelling was observed in concentrated KF solution, implying a very strong F⁻ binding ability of benzyl group. The comprehensive results obtained in this study will be utilized on the design of HPMCP-based controlled release system.     

Radiation-induced degradation of galactomannan polysaccharides

In this study, guar gum, tara gum and locust bean gum were irradiated in a gamma cell in the solid state. The change in their molecular weights were determined by size exclusion chromatography analysis and the change in their viscosity values with change of temperature and irradiation dose were determined. Chain scission yield, G(s), and degradation rate values were calculated. The calculated G(s) values is 1.09 ± 0.16, 1.07 ± 0.06, 0.85 ± 0.10 for GG, TG and LBG, respectively. The effect of mannose-galactose ratio and initial molecular weight of these gums on the degradation behavior were discussed.     

Ion irradiation effects on surface mechanical behavior and shrinkage of hybrid sol-gel derived silicate thin films

A study of the effects of ion irradiation on the surface mechanical behavior and shrinkage of organic/inorganic modified silicate thin films was performed. The films were synthesized by sol-gel processing from tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) precursors and spin-coated onto Si substrates. The sol viscosity and the spin velocity were adjusted so that the films produced had a final thickness ranging from 580 to 710 nm after heat treatment. The ion species and incident energies used were selected such that the projected ion range was greater than the film thickness, resulting in fully irradiated films. After heat treatment at 300 °C for 10 min, the films were irradiated with 125 keV H⁺, 250 keV N²⁺ and 2 MeV Cu⁺ ions with fluences ranging from 1 × 10¹⁴ to 1 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm². Both hardness and reduced elastic modulus were seen to exhibit a monotonic increase with fluence for all three ion species. Also, H loss was found to increase monotonically with increase in fluence, while the film thickness was found to decrease with increase in fluence.     

Ion beam radiation effects in monazite

Monazite is a potential matrix for conditioning minor actinides arising from spent fuel reprocessing. The matrix behavior under irradiation must be investigated to ensure long-term containment performance. Monazite compounds were irradiated by gold and helium ions to simulate the consequences of alpha decay. This article describes the effects of such irradiation on the structural and macroscopic properties (density and hardness) of monazites LaPO₄ and La_0.73Ce_0.27PO₄. Irradiation by gold ions results in major changes in the material properties. At a damage level of 6.7 dpa, monazite exhibits volume expansion of about 8.1%, a 59% drop in hardness, and structure amorphization, although Raman spectroscopy analysis shows that the phosphate-oxygen bond is unaffected. Conversely, no change in the properties of these compounds was observed after He ion implantation. These results indicate that ballistic effects predominate in the studied dose range.     

VUV processing of polymers: Surface modification and deposition of organic thin films

N-rich organic surfaces have been obtained by means of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) processing, via the functionalization of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) surfaces and also by polymerization of hydrocarbons (CH₄ and C₂H₄) mixed with ammonia (NH₃). The fundamental mechanisms involved in grafting reactions, as well as in the polymerization of these binary mixtures are discussed as a function of wavelength, λ, of the VUV sources. The surface compositions and deposition rates are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and by UV-vis spectroscopic ellipsometry, respectively. We show that photochemical reactions can be optimized by judiciously selecting λ of the VUV source, so that maximum absorption and photo-dissociation can be achieved.     

Gamma irradiation of PolyEthyleneTerephthalate and PolyEthyleneNaphthalate

The effect of gamma irradiation in air is investigated in two thermoplastic polyesters (PET and PEN), in order to evaluate the influence of aromatic density and the role of oxygen on radiation resistance. EPR measurements were carried out to detect radical stability against oxygen permeation and to provide radical characterization. Viscometric data reveal a different behaviour between films and thick samples. Positron annihilation spectra show a decrease of ortho-positronium intensity, which is more marked in film samples. ortho-positronium lifetime does not depend on the radiation dose.     

A sensitive EPR dosimetry system based on sulfamic acid

There is a need for a sensitive dosimeter using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) for use in medical applications, since with this method non-destructive read-out and dose archival could be achieved. Sulfamic acid as a possible detector substance was investigated before and after irradiation, its EPR spectra were recorded and analyzed, some dosimetric characteristics were studied: microwave power saturation behavior, the effect of modulation amplitude on peak-to-peak signal intensity and the line width. Energy-dependence parameters were compared to soft tissue and alanine, and the response to ionizing radiation was studied, also the decay behavior along 133 days after irradiation is presented. It is found that sulfamic acid possesses high-sensitivity and reasonable signal stability which may make it useful as a sensitive dosimeter for medical applications.     

Radiation cross-linking in ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for orthopaedic applications

The motivation for radiation cross-linking of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is to increase its wear resistance to be used as bearing surfaces for total joint arthroplasty. However, radiation also leaves behind long-lived residual free radicals in this polymer, the reactions of which can detrimentally affect mechanical properties. In this review, we focus on the radiation cross-linking and oxidative stability of first and second generation highly cross-linked UHMWPEs developed in our laboratory.     

Angular distributions of diffracted X-ray radiation from channeled electrons in Si and LiF Crystals: Influence of energy levels band structure

It is shown that the band structure of the energy levels of planar channeled electrons qualitatively changes the angular distributions of X-rays emitted at Bragg angles.