Effect of γ-dose rate on crystallinity and morphological changes of γ-sterilized biomedical polypropylene

The present work is aimed to study the changes in crystallinity and morphology of biomedical polyolefins after γ-sterilization. The isotactic polypropylene (iPP) films were sterilized by γ-radiation and the changes were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The effect of dose rate on crystallinity changes also was focused. It was found that crystallinity and morphology significantly changed with γ-irradiation. There was an increase in crystallinity up to 10 kGy accompanied with decrease in viscosity and mechanical properties. The changes in crystallinity mainly depend on γ-irradiation dose and dose rate. The rise in crystallinity was attributed to chain scission and forming new perfect lamellae. However, the reduction was accompanied by occurrence of γ- and β-phases and crosslinking. Possible explanations for transitions in phases are also discussed based on our results.