Stabilization of polypropylene, polypropylene blends with poly (styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene) under irradiation: A comparative investigation

The aim of this paper is to investigate the stabilization of polypropylene in the poly (styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene) (SEBS)/polypropylene (PP) blends under irradiation with respect to PP. The PP films, SEBS/PP films were subjected to electron beam irradiation and characterized by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). It demonstrated that upon irradiation, the molecular weight of PP had a pronounced decrease due to the major chain scission, and the minor chain cross-linking or chain branching occurred at the higher irradiation dose. Stabilization of PP was improved in the presence of SEBS, exhibiting an enhanced irradiation resistance.