Effects of copolymer composition on the formation of ionic species, hydrogen evolution, and free‐radical reaction in γ‐irradiated styrene‐butadiene random and block copolymers

Abstract

AbstractBlock and random copolymers of butadiene and styrene as well as polybutadiene and polystyrene homopolymers have been investigated with respect to formation of trapped electrons, contribution of ionic species to crosslinking, and hydrogen gas evolution due to γ radiation. The decay kinetics of the disubstituted benzyl radical has also been studied. The yields of electron trapping G(e−) are measured. The G(e−) increase linearly with increased polystyrene content in block polymers, while in random copolymer a deviation from a linear relation is observed. The contribution of ionic reactions to crosslinking is about 25–35% of the total crosslinking yield. Hydrogen production in block copolymers is approximately a linear function of the weight‐fraction additivity of the yield of hydrogen formation in polystyrene and polybutadiene homopolymers. Energy transfer from butadiene units to styrene units in random copolymers resulted in a deviation from such an additivity relation. The decay of the disubstituted benzyl free radical in block copolymers is a second‐order reaction. In random copolymer, the decay is best interpreted in terms of equation based on a second‐order decay mechanism of a fraction of the free radicals decaying in the presence of other nondecaying free radicals.