Radiation-oxidation of polymers

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6050016

Clough, R. L.; Gillen, K. T.

Radiation effects on polymers in the presence of air are characterized by complicated phenomena such as dose-rate effects and post-irradiation degradation. Most applications of polymeric materials in radiation environments involve air atmospheres. Taking account of oxidation effects and time-dependent phenomena is a necessity for understanding materials changes which occur during aging, and for dealing with issues of materials lifetime prediction, aging monitoring, materials selection, and material stabilization. Time-dependent radiation-degradation effects can be understood mechanistically in terms of: (1) features of the free radical chain-reaction chemistry underlying the oxidation, and (2) oxygen diffusion effects. A profiling technique has been developed to study heterogeneous degradation resulting from oxygen diffusion, and kinetic schemes have been developed to allow long-term aging predictions from short-term high-dose-rate experiments. These methodologies have been successfully applied for predicting degradation rates of a number of different materials under ambient nuclear environments. Low molecular weight additives which act either as free-radical scavengers or else as energy-scavengers are effective as stabilizers in radiation-oxidation environments. Non-radical oxidation mechanisms, involving species such as ozone, can also be important in the radiation-oxidation of polymers. 14 refs., 13 figs.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6050016
• Report Number(s): SAND-89-1756C; CONF-8907108-1; ON: DE89014135
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360604 -- Materials-- Corrosion
Erosion
& Degradation
360605* -- Materials-- Radiation Effects
AGING
AIR
ALKENES
CHEMICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
DIFFUSION
ELONGATION
FLUIDS
GASES
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HYDROCARBONS
IRRADIATION
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
OXIDATION
OZONE
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
POLYMERS
POLYVINYLS
PROPYLENE
PVC
RADIATION CHEMISTRY
RADIATION EFFECTS
TIME DEPENDENCE