Modification Induced in Makrofol BL 2‐4 Polycarbonate due to Electron Beam Irradiation

Abstract

Makrofol BL 2-4 is an extrusion film based on Makrolon polycarbonate. It is different from Makrofol DE as it comprises excellent die-cutting performance combined with high light transmission and moderate light scattering properties. It is a polymeric solid-state nuclear track detector, which has many applications in various radiation detection fields. Samples from Makrofol BL sheets were irradiated using different electron beam doses ranging from 20 to 300 kGy. It is worth mentioning that this report is almost the first one dealing with this topic of material changes using Makrofol BL 2-4. The resultant effect of electron beam irradiation on the properties of Makrofol has been investigated using X-ray diffraction, intrinsic viscosity, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, refractive index, and color difference studies. The results indicate that the electron beam irradiation in the dose range 50-200 kGy led to the dominance of cross-linking, enhancing the properties of Makrofol. C 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Technol 2015, 34, 21496; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com.