ESR study on radiation-induced radicals in carboxymethyl cellulose aqueous solution

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) at highly concentrated aqueous solution undergoes radiation crosslinking reaction by ionizing irradiation. It is assumed that this radiation-induced reaction takes place by the indirect effect of water radiolysis, especially through the OH radical. However, the reaction mechanism is not well known. In this topic, ESR spectra of CMC radicals formed by reaction with OH radicals were measured directly in aqueous solution to identify the initially formed radical site. The ESR spectra were observed successfully and were interpreted as the overlapping of two spectra; a Triplet×Doublet spectrum and a Doublet spectrum. Each spectrum was assigned to radicals located on carboxymethyl groups linked to C6 and C2/C3.