6 MeV electron beam induced diffusion of iodine in isotactic polypropylene

Abstract

Polypropylene is irradiated by 6 MeV electrons in presence of Iodine and subsequently characterized by the techniques such as weight gain, weight loss, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), Ultraviolet Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). It is unambiguously observed that the electron beam assists the doping and trapping of volatile Iodine in Polypropylene. Presence of the Iodine during irradiation strongly supports the radiation-induced decrease in the band gap up to almost visible region. Further, the doped Iodine strongly interacts and decreases the crystalline structure of the Polypropylene. It is also observed that the nanoclusters of Iodine having size around 100 nm are formed on the surface of Polypropylene due to electron irradiation.