Abstract
The non-uniformity of oxidation across polypropylene and polyethylene films has been measured by a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), internal reflection infrared spectroscopy and bulk property measurements. Films were photo-oxidized or γ-irradiated in air. Photo-oxidized film showed detectable oxidation at a very early stage in the outermost 70 Å of the film thickness (as measured by XPS). Oxidation advanced into the films as exposure level increased. Although γ-irradiated films also showed enhanced surface oxidation, this was attributed to the reaction of the polymer surfaces with short-lived species such as ozone from the radiolysis of the moist air atmosphere. When films were γ-irradiated and oxidized under conditions which precluded these reactions, oxidation proceeded uniformly throughout the film cross-section.
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