Effect of gamma irradiation on the adhesive property and antibacterial activity of blend polymer (abietic acid-EVA)

Abstract

Abietic acid (Aba) and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) were blended by mixing and dissolving in toluene. The copolymer blend (Aba/EVA 85:15 wt%) was subjected to varying doses of gamma irradiation (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 90 kGy). The crystallinity and the chemical structure of the polymeric blends were investigated by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy and their adhesive properties were verified through utilizing the tensile strength testing. According to the findings, the gamma irradiation was found to increase the adhesive power of the blend polymer (Aba/EVA). To achieve the optimal adhesive force, 30 kGy was used as the irradiation dose. The adhesive forces of both irradiated and unirradiated samples were 1084 and 411 kPa, respectively. For this reason, adhesive force went up to 263%. Moreover, the process also entailed an examination of the antibacterial activity of the aforementioned copolymeric adhesive blend for irradiated (30 kGy) and unirradiated samples. The outcome from the antibacterial study pointed out that this polymer blend does entail antibacterial activity, something that is safe and helpful in the context of food packaging.