The influence of electron-beam irradiation on the chemical and the structural properties of medical-grade polyurethane

Abstract

Thermo plastic polyurethane (TPU) provides excellent bio-compatibility, flexibility and good irradiation resistance; however, extremely high irradiation doses can alter the structure and function of macromolecules, resulting in oxidation, chain scission and cross-linking. In this study, the effects of e-beam irradiation on the medical grade thermo plastic polyurethane were studied. The changes in the chain length and their distribution as well as the changes in molecular structure were studied. The GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography) results show that the oxidative decomposition is followed by a decrease in molecular mass together with an increase in polydispersity. This indicates a very inhomogeneous degradation, which is a consequence of the specific course and of the intensity of oxidative degradation. This was confirmed by means of mechanical property measurements. Overall, this study demonstrated that the medical grade TPU was affected by radiation exposure, particularly at high irradiation doses.PACS numbers: 61.82.Pv

Radiation Crosslinking of Polyurethanes: Characterization by FTIR, TGA, SEM, XRD, and Raman Spectroscopy

“…In the study of the radiation crosslinking polyurethane, a lot of work was done in polyurethane synthesis, in its molecular backbone to import some unsaturated bond and application of -irradiation to realize the radiation crosslinking in order to obtain a better crosslinking effects, improved thermal stability, and other properties of polyurethane. In another study on the influence of electron-beam irradiation in air on the chemical and the structural properties of medical-grade polyurethane, the results show homogeneous oxidative degradation followed by a decrease in molecular mass and an increase in polydispersity [13]. The chain scission is common by the irradiation UV and gamma irradiation in air of polyurethane [14].…”