Effect of Gamma-Ray Pre-Irradiation on the Ablation of Polyethylene and Ethylene-Propylene Copolymer Under Continuous CO2 Laser Radiation

Abstract

We report the effect of preliminary γ-irradiation of polyethylene (PE) and ethylene-propylene copolymer (CEP) on the kinetics of polymer ablation under CO2 laser irradiation. The rate of PE ablation exceeds the rate of CEP ablation at all doses of γ-irradiation. The ablation rate of the polymers can be approximated by a linear function in the initial stage, and the rate reaches a constant value in the second stage of ablation. The rate of laser ablation increases linearly with the dose of preliminary γ-irradiation in both stages of the kinetics. For PE ablation, the duration of the linear increase in rate decreases with increase in preliminary radiolysis dose. The morphology of the crater surface formed during the laser ablation of γ-irradiated polymers is characterized by a more diverse structure.