Effect of neutron dose on the structural properties of Makrofol polycarbonate

The effect of neutron dose on the structural properties of a Makrofol polycarbonate detector has been studied. Samples of Makrofol were classified into three main groups. The first, second and third groups were irradiated with neutrons in the dose ranges of 0.01–0.08, 0.1–0.8 and 1.0–8.0 Sv, respectively. The structural modifications in the neutron irradiated samples were studied using X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, the effect of neutron dose on the intrinsic viscosity of the liquid samples, as a measure of the mean molecular mass of the Makrofol polymer, was studied. An increase in the –OH groups was observed at dose ranges of 0.01–0.04 and 3.21–8.0 Sv due to the degradation of carbonate group and the –H abstraction from the polymer backbone to form hydroxyl groups. This indicates that the degradation is dominant at these dose ranges that enhance the degree of ordering in the irradiated samples. On the other hand, irradiation in the dose range 0.04–3.21 Sv was characterized by a dominant crosslinking mechanism that led to an increase of the amorphous phase and average molecular mass.