Irradiated polypropylene studied by microhardness and waxs

Abstract

Hard surface layers of polymer materials, especially polypropylene, can be formed by chemical or physical process. One of the physical methods modifying the surface layer is radiation cross-linking. Radiation doses used were 0, 30, 45, 60 and 90 kGy for unfilled polypropylene with the 5 % cross-linking agent (triallyl isocyanurate). Individual radiation doses caused structural and micromechanical changes which have a significant effect on the final properties of the polypropylene tested. Small radiation doses cause changes in the surface layer which make the values of some material parameters rise. The improvement of micromechanical properties was measured by an instrumented microhardness test. X-ray diffraction was used to study the influence of the structure.