Irradiation effects on polycaprolactone 

 -  Polymer, 26(1), p.50-54, 1985 .
<br/><br/> The structure and some physical properties of ?-irradiated polycaprolactone (PCL), a semi-crystalline linear saturated polyester, were studied as function of the irradiation dose level. The critical dose level for gel formation is 26 Mrad and above this irradiation dose the number of scission events is similar to the number of crosslinking events. G.p.c. results show that the initial rather narrow molecular weight distribution gradually widens with increasing dose in the pre-gelation region. A significant difference between first and second d.s.c. scans of irradiated PCL is shown and explained. Scission and crosslinking reactions associated with the irradiation process occur preferentially in the non-ordered regions. Small irradiation doses, 2-5 Mrad, are shown to have a dramatic effect on the tensile elongation at break by converting ductile PCL samples into brittle materials. 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>IRRADIATION EFFECTS<br/>POLYCAPROLACTONE<br/>GAMMA IRRADIATION<br/>GEL FORMATION