ESR Study of PE, HDPE and UHMWPE Irradiated with Ion Beams and Neutrons

We report the Electron Spin Resonance (RES) studies on the effects produced by bombarding with accelerated Sulfur ions, Protons and Neutrons on the Polyethylene, PE, (Hostalen and Romanian), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, UHMWPE, ( GUR 1050, medical grade Lennite), and high density polyethylene, HDPE, (HDPE-7000F, Polinter de Venezuela, PDVSA). The resonance spectra have been recorded using a Varian E-line-X ESR spectrometer at 100 KHz modulation frequency. In thin films of Polyethylene (Hostalen and UHMWPE) have been irradiated with Sulfur ions, S, accelerated at about 7 MeV/nucleons, and Protons at about 5 MeV/nucleons (IFIN, Romania). Samples of Polyethylene ( HDPE 7000-F) were irradiate with neutrons from a Pu-Be source (flux of 1.19 x 106 n/s. cm2, 5.65 MeV, IVIC, Venezuela) from 0 to 8 hours in the presence of air and at room temperature (RT). The ESR measurements were performed after a storage time of about 7 months, in air at room temperature. The nature of the free radicals induced by irradiation as well as the dependence of resonance line, resonance line shape and radicals concentration has been studied