Ionizing radiation induced synthesis of polymers and blends with different structures

A review of radiation induced synthesis of polymer systems having ordered microstructures is reported. The aim of this research is to propose the use of ionizing radiation as polymerization initiator in alternative to the more conventional chemical ways. In this paper the most significant results about: the radiation curing of epoxy resin based systems in order to obtain polymer matrices for advanced composites; the radiation induced dispersion polymerization of methylmethacrylate in carbon dioxide in near critical conditions; the synthesis of microgels through gamma radiation of aqueous solutions of α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide (PHG) in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivatives, for controlled actives delivery, are reported. (author)