Radiation‐induced oxygen scavenging activity in EVOH copolymers

Oxygen scavenging capacity has been observed for the first time in an ethylene‐vinyl alcohol (EVOH29, i.e., 29 mol % of ethylene) copolymer as a consequence of electron beam irradiation at doses of 30 and 90 kGy. This oxygen blocking activity is thought to arise from the reaction of oxygen with the free radicals formed during the irradiation process and it has been observed to be dependent of the irradiation dose, i.e., the higher the dose, the longer the time the polymer is able to react with oxygen. The characterization of the irradiated polymeric samples has been carried out through DSC and FT‐IR and the oxygen transmission rate has been measured as a function of time and compared with the properties of the nonirradiated material. A drop in the melting point and in the enthalpy of fusion and broader peaks were observed after irradiation, which indicated changes in the morphology of the copolymer. Through FT‐IR, a slight decrease in the crystallinity of the irradiated EVOH29 was observed at the highest irradiation dose and several bands arise which correspond to the formation of degradation products such as aldehydes and ketones after irradiation. Those radiolysis compounds were identified through gas chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007