ESR study of pressure dependence of the peroxy radical decay in irradiated isotactic polypropylene

By the use of gamma radiation the free radicals were generated in isotactic polypropylene. The polymer was exposed to the action of atmospheric oxygen and the peroxy radicals were formed. Then the decay of peroxy radicals was investigated at varying temperatures as a function of pressure. The rate constants of the free radical decay were determined, and the corresponding activation volumes were calculated. The kinetic characteristics imply that the peroxy radicals predominantly occured in amorphous region the polymer. The results suggest that useful information on molecular mechanism of radical reactions in the solid phase may be obtained from the determination of activation volumes.