Abstract
Abstract Rubber is one of the linear polymers which may be crosslinked by high energy radiation. In this paper the effect of a range of additives on the cross-linking of rubber by pile and gamma radiation is reported. Many were found to retard crosslinking and this is of interest mechanistically and as an example of protection against high energy radiation. A major problem in radiation chemistry is the relative importance of ions, excited molecules, and free radicals. An ionic mechanism has been suggested for the crosslinking of polyethylene and both excitation transfer and free radical hypotheses of protection have been suggested in the radiolysis of polymethyl methacrylate. The adequacy of a free radical mechanism may be assessed by comparison of protective power and radical acceptance and in this work most of the additives were chosen because of their known, or reasonably inferred, reactivity towards free radicals and, in particular, of polyisoprenyl radicals.
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