γ-ray-induced degradation in ethylene–propylene copolymer

The stabilization of polypropylene-disposable medical syringes against the γ-ray-induced degradation has been the subject of active research during the last decade due to the large-scale use of γ-irradiation for sterilization purposes. Ethylene–propylene (EP) copolymers have been suggested as suitable alternatives to polypropylene for these purposes. In this article, we investigated the effect of irradiation dose and postirradiation time on the melt index and mechanical properties of an EP copolymer. We also determined the chemical changes occurring during irradiation and storage using IR spectroscopy and have made an attempt to co-relate the changes in chemical structure to the changes in mechanical properties and melt index measurements. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.