Effect of γ-radiation on crystallization of polycaprolactone

The crystallization behavior of radiation cross-linked poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was studied by DSC at different cooling rates. The crystallization process was analyzed by the Ozawa equation and the Mo-Zhishen method that is developed from combining the Avrami equation and the Ozawa equation. It was concluded that the crystallization of radiation crosslinked PCL is governed by heterogeneous nucleation and single-dimension growth; the crystal fraction and rates of crystallization are related to the radiation dose and degree of cross-linking; the relationship between relative crystallinity and time follows the Ozawa equation: The higher the degree of crosslinking, the less the crystal velocity constant. The activation energy of crystallization for irradiated PCL is between 65 and 54 kJ/mol.