Impact of γ-irradiation, ageing and their interactions on multilayer films followed by AComDim

•Characterization of γ-irradiation, batch effect and ageing on two multilayer polymer films.•Powerful method to identify influential factors and interactions for experimental design multivariate response.•Each factor and interaction could be interpreted as changes in polymers structures.•The relevance of each effect could be evaluated.

To highlight the main factors involved in the degradation of polymers in multilayer films under γ-irradiation, the ANOVA Common Dimensions (AComDim, Analysis of Variance in Common Dimensions) method is applied on spectra recorded with ATR-FTIR (Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared). The present study focuses on the stability of γ-irradiated polymers used in single-use plastic bags made of multilayer films for the biopharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. The samples are irradiated at several γ-doses, up to 270 kGy, and compared with a non-irradiated sample used as reference. It shows that the γ-dose, the natural ageing up to six months and the γ-dose × ageing interaction are the most influential factors.

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