Radiation-induced oxidation of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) powder by gamma rays and electron beams: A clear dependence of dose rate

Oxidation is an important effect of irradiation on polyethylene in air. In this work, oxidation of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) powder (ca. 110 μm in diameter) induced by gamma rays (γ ray) and electron beams (EB) in air resulted in some large differences in properties, such as oxidative scission due to dose rate differences. However, other properties, such as surface wettability and thermal stability were not that greatly affected. The dose-rates used were 0.0019 kGy/s from a cobalt-60 gamma source and 92 kGy/s from an electron beam. The chemical structure, oxidation level, surface wettability and thermal stability of irradiated UHMWPE were analyzed by FT-IR, XPS, TGA and the static contact angle. Hydrophilic carboxyl and carbonyl groups were present on the surface of irradiated UHMWPE after irradiation in air, resulting in a decrease in the contact angle. After irradiation at 300 kGy, the gel content of the γ ray-irradiated UHMWPE samples decreased to almost zero, while that of EB irradiated UHMWPE decreased to 57%. For UHMWPE powder irradiated by gamma rays at lower doses, radiation-induced oxidation was complete and consistent with a simple theoretic estimation. Surface wettability was primarily affected by surface oxidation, and the oxidation level of UHMWPE could be easily predicted. - Highlights: • UHMWPE powder was irradiated by γ ray and EB in air with difference in dose rate. • Radiation oxidation was studied and compared experimentally and theoretically. • The dose rate has great effect on thickness of oxidation layer in UHMWPE powder