Radiation Effects on Polymers

Recent or picosecond (PS) and nanosecond (NS) electron beam (EB), ion beam (IB), and synchrotron radiation (SR) pulse radiolysis studies on polymers are reviewed. Transient absorption and emission spectra of short-lived reactive intermediates such as electrons, radical anions and cations, excited states and neutral radicals have been observed in irradiated solid polymers and polymers solutions, such as polyethylene model compounds and ethylene-propylene copolymers, polystyrene and related compounds including resists, and sigma-conjugated polymers such as polysilanes and polygermanes. Very recent progress in our picosecond EB pulse radiolysis systems, especially new LL (linac-laser) twin system, is also shown. IB and SR pulse radiolysis systems (1 ns and subnanosecond time resolution for emission spectroscopy, respectively) are developed very recently and applied to polymers. The history of pulse radiolysis studies on polymers is also reviewed shortly.