Radiation‐induced oxidation of polyethylene, ethylene–butene copolymer, and ethylene–propylene copolymer

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Abstract
Oxygen consumption and yield of oxidation products during γ‐irradiation were studied on five types of polyethylene (PE), ethylene–butene copolymer (EB), and ethylene–propylene copolymer (EPR) using gas chromatography, mass spectrography, and high‐resolution NMR. Samples were irradiated in oxygen under pressure from 0 to 500 torr by 60Co γ‐rays up to 20 Mrad at 22–25°C. In enough oxygen, oxygen consumption and yield of oxidation products are independent of oxygen pressure for low‐density PE, EB, and EPR. The G values of oxygen consumption were 14–18.4 for PE, 11.6 for EB at 1 × 106 rad/h, and 8.3 for EPR at 2 × 105 rad/h. The oxidation products determined were carboxylic acid (CH2COOH), H2O, CO2, and CO. The oxygen consumption and oxidation products for PE were found to increase with increasing crystallinity.