| Electron Beam (EB) technology has been employed for more than a decade to improve the properties of polymers. Past researches has focused on understanding the effect of high energy electron beam (>5MeV) on Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and Polypropylene (PP). However, no research has been conducted at low energy regimes (≤150keV).;The objective behind this research is to determine whether the effects induced by high energy electron beam could be achieved using low energy electron beam systems. Thin films of each resin approximately 200microm thick were irradiated with different doses at150 KeV using Advanced Electron Beam's (AEB) application development unit (ADU). Then, the mechanical property changes were evaluated through tensile and drop dart impact tests. The correlation between mechanical properties and morphological changes was also studied using melt flow index measurements and differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that after EB irradiation at 150keV, LDPE underwent cross-linking while the degradation was shown in PP. For LDPE, its impact resistance was drastically improved and the elongation at break decreased with increasing dose. The morphological changes have also confirmed the cross-linking effect of LDPE through melt flow index and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurement. For PP, chain-scission effect was prominently observed through the decrease in impact strength and increase in melt flow index. |
