Abstract
(1) Background: This study investigated the miscibility of carbon-based fillers within industrial scale polymers for the preparation of superior quality polymer composites. It focuses on finding the light distribution in gamma irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). (2) Methods: The Kubleka–Munk model (KMM) was used to extract the optical properties, i.e., absorption coefficients (μa) and scattering coefficients (μs). Samples amounting to 30 kGy and 100 kGy of irradiated (in the open air) UHMWPE from 630 nm to 800 nm were used for this purpose. Moreover, theoretical validation of experimental results was performed while using extracted optical properties as inputs for the Monte Carlo model of light transport (MCML) code. (3) Conclusions: The investigations revealed that there was a significant decrease in absorption and scattering coefficient (μa & μs) values with irradiation, and 30 kGy irradiated samples suffered more compared to 100 kGy irradiated samples. Furthermore, the simulation of light transport for 800 nm showed an increase in penetration depth for UHMWPE after gamma irradiation. The decrease in dimensionless transport albedo from 0.95 to 0.93 was considered responsible for this increase in photon absorption per unit area with irradiation. The report results are of particular importance when considering the light radiation (from 600 nm to 899 nm) for polyethylene modification and/or stabilization via enhancing the polyethylene chain mobility.
Highlights
In recent decades, industrial applications of polymers and polymer composites have seen an exponential rise in different areas of our life, including pharmaceutical packaging, consumer goods, medical devices, food and cosmetic packaging, etc
The report results are of particular importance when considering the light radiation for polyethylene modification and/or stabilization via enhancing the polyethylene chain mobility
ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is the material of choice for orthopedic industrial applications and medical devices that are made of this industrial scale polymeric biomaterial are usually treated with high energy radiation such as gamma, e-beams, or X-rays for sterilization [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]
Summary
Industrial applications of polymers and polymer composites have seen an exponential rise in different areas of our life, including pharmaceutical packaging, consumer goods, medical devices, food and cosmetic packaging, etc. Treating UHMWPE with high energy radiation generates free radicals that are responsible for its degradation, limiting the service life of the UHMWPE-based medical devices. To quench these free radicals, different methodologies including post-irradiation melting, post-irradiation annealing and the inclusion of biocompatible antioxidants are in practice. Continuous efforts are in progress to figure out the best alternative for sterilization and stabilizing UHMWPE In this regard, the concept of treating UHMWPE with light [12,13] of suitable wavelength and/or energy seems to be appealing as it has the potential to address the harms associated with the aforementioned methods. When using light to modify, sterilize and/or stabilize UHMWPE [13,14,15], an investigation of optical properties (i.e., absorption coefficient μa, scattering coefficients μs in pristine and irradiated UHMWPE [10,16] and light distribution in pristine and irradiated UHMWPE [17,18,19,20,21]) needs to be conducted
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