Evaluation of oxidation behavior of γ-irradiated EPDM/PP compounds

The oxidation effect of irradiation on ethylene–propylene diene terpolymer/polypropylene blends is presented. The polymer samples consisting of both materials under various ratios (20:80, 40:60, 60:40 and 80:20) were exposed to γ-irradiation (137Cs). The irradiation effects were assessed by two methods: oxygen uptake and IR spectroscopy (1720 cm−1 and 3350 cm−1, the characteristic bands for carbonyl and hydroxyl groups, respectively). The carbonyl and hydroxyl indexes were calculated for all formulations. From oxygen uptake investigation the kinetic parameters for thermal oxidation of irradiated samples were calculated. The contribution of each component to the progress of degradation is discussed.