Radiation Physics and Chemistry of Polymeric Materials

The material properties can be modified/tailored by either of the techniques available such as top-down method, bottom-up method, composite ratio variation, doping of a suitable dopant, ion beam-related methods and many others. The modifications by ion beam and radiation treatment are quite effective techniques to calibrate the physical, chemical, surface and structural properties of the materials. Polymeric materials are highly radiation sensitive and their properties can be modified by exposing the material to different ions and radiation such as gamma rays, electron and proton beams as well as swift heavy ions. The focus of the present discussion is pointed towards the radiation (mainly swift heavy ions and gamma rays) induced modification of polymeric materials and their physical and chemical aspects. The fundamental concepts of energy transfer of swift heavy ions and the post-irradiation effects such as cross-linking and chain scissoring of polymeric materials have been discussed in this chapter. The polymeric chain scissoring and cross-linking are related to the structural, chemical, surface, electrical and free volume properties of the polymers. The concept of free volume is further related to gas diffusion and separation properties of some of the polymers. The discussion is limited up to the radiation-sensitive polymers such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate and polyallyl diglycol carbonate polymers in the present chapter. The applications related to ion beam technology have been discussed in the last section of this chapter.