The structure of electron beam-modified cellulose triacetate

The structure, relaxation, and surface properties of cellulose triacetate (CTA) fibers and films modified by electron-beam irradiation in the absorbed dose range of D = 0−1000 kGy have been studied. The relation of the glass transition and melting temperatures of the irradiated CTA samples with the local density and the fractal dimensionality of the macrochain has been revealed. It has been shown that the radiation-chemical processes associated with the rupture of acetal bonds and the hydrolysis of CTA acetate groups predetermine the change in the structural and relaxation characteristics of the irradiated samples, as well as a nonmonotonic form of the dependence of the density and the surface energy of the films upon the absorbed dose near the threshold value of D = 75 kGy.