Modification by Radiation

IR spectroscopy can be used to characterise not only different rubbers, but also to understand the structural changes due to the chemical modification of the rubbers. The chemical methods normally used to modify rubbers include hydrogenation, halogenation, hydrosilylation, phosphonylation and sulfonation. The effects of oxidation, weathering and radiation on the polymer structure can be studied with the help of infrared spectroscopy. Formation of ionic polymers and ionomeric polyblends behaving as thermoplastic elastomers can be followed by this method. Infrared spectroscopy in conjunction with other techniques is an important tool to characterise polymeric materials. 

NKS and PPD acknowledge assistance from Dr. S. Sivaram, National Chemical Laboratory, India, Dr. Olav M. Aagaard and Mr. Wil J. Belt, DSM Research, The Netherlands. Thanks are also due to Ms. Rituparna Singha, Bhuwneesh Kumar and Mr. Shambhu Bhattacharya for helping the authors to prepare the manuscript. 

Singha, S. Bhattacharjee and S. Sivaram, Rubber Chemistry and Technology, 1997, 70, 309. 

Hashimoto and Y. Todani in Handbook of Elastomers New Development Technology, Eds., A.K. Bhowmick and H.L. Stephens, Marcel Dekker, New York, NY, USA, 1998, Chapter 24. 

Koenig, Spectroscopy of Polymers, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, USA, 1992. 

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M. Amiji and K. Park. Surface modification by radiation-induced grafting of PEO/PPO/PEO triblock copolymers. J. Colloid Interface Sci. (in press). 

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