Chemical modifications in irradiated polymers

In this paper a general survey is presented on the chemical modifications which occur in polymers subjected to ionizing (or high energy) radiations. An attempt is made to present first the chemical changes observed in polymers having the simplest chemical structure, i.e. hydrocarbons, and to consider next specific effects which may arise in polymers containing other functional groups in their repeating unit. Other radiation damage observed in polymers is confronted with the basic chemical modifications. The discussion is limited to radiations producing low densities of energy deposition such as gamma- and X-rays or fast electrons. (orig.)