Optical Energy Estimation of Irradiated Polypropylene

Abstract

The optical absorption has been studied under exposure to gamma radiation. Thin films of polypropylene were irradiated with a ⁶⁰Co source and doses ranged up to 6 kGy. Analysis of the optical absorption spectra indicated that both direct and indirect electron transitions take place in the polymer. The observed optical energy gap (E_opt) and energy gap-tail (ΔE) for irradiated films were determined from the measured absorption spectra. The average values of (E_opt) and (ΔE) are 5.85 eV and 0.5 eV, respectively. There is no detectable change in the optical energy gaps and tails under the applied gamma-ray doses.

Keywords:

• absorption spectra
• crosslinking
• dose
• gamma radiation
• gap-tails
• optical energy gap
• polypropylene

The author is grateful to the Atomic Energy Agency in Jordan, and Mr. Al-Horany for irradiation technical help.

The author is on a sabbatical leave from Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid-Jordan.