Polymers Under Ionizing Radiations

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This chapter explores polymer behavior under ionizing radiation, and focuses on synthetic organic polymers, that is, those synthesized from chemical compounds resulting from petrochemistry. It presents the various types of ionizing radiation, the interactions between ionizing radiation and polymers, the resulting defects and the factors influencing the behavior of a given material exposed to ionizing radiation. In the presence of atoms with high atomic numbers, the boundary between the photoelectric effect and Compton scattering is shifted toward high energies, and depending on the atoms present, the photoelectric effect can no longer be ignored. Accelerated ions can interact with target atoms via two mechanisms: elastic collisions with their nuclei or inelastic collisions with their electrons. Concerning the influence of the irradiation environment, the most important factor is the presence or absence of oxygen molecules. Energy transfer phenomena play an important role in polymer evolution under ionizing radiation.