Mechanistic insights into the room temperature transitions of polytetrafluoroethylene during electron-beam irradiation

In order to recognize the characteristic thermal transitions of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) occurring at 19 °C and 30 °C, PTFE is irradiated on electron beam accelerator at room temperature and analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results suggest that the two transition temperatures decrease considerably with increasing irradiation doses. Based on the results of structural analysis, the decrease of the two transition temperatures is supposed to be highly relevant to the structural changes. In particular, the content and structure of the side groups generated in PTFE are responsible for the variations of the two thermal transitions after irradiation, offering fundamental insights into the reaction mechanisms of PTFE during irradiation.