Effect of Different Sources of Radiation on the Characteristics of a Nano-Reinforced Polymeric Composite

The fabrication of two composites using polymers (A) and (B) reinforced with nano-Alumina in ratios of (8,4)%, respectively, was the main focus of this study. To study the effect of both the irradiation time and the effectiveness of the radioactive sources, the manufactured samples were exposed to different periods (1,2,3) days when irradiated with sources of different efficacy (Sr90), (Co60). From the results of the examination via the atomic force microscope, it was found that the rate of distribution of the granular sizes and the nature of the surface of composite B was affected when the irradiation time was increased, as well as when using different sources of effectiveness, while composite A was very weakly affected by these conditions. It was also noted that the mechanical properties were affected by the irradiation parameters, where we notice a decrease in the hardness values and an improvement in the impact strength of both compounds when the source efficiency increases and the irradiation duration increases. The infrared spectrum gave a great role in the irradiation time, and it affected the appearance and disappearance of beams when irradiated with different sources on the two complexes. In the case of composite A, the CH band disappeared on the first day of irradiation with a source (Co60). The rest of the bands appeared, but with varying intensity and frequency, with a slight displacement when the irradiation source changed. It was also noticed that there was a disappearance of the same beam for the composite (B) but on the third day of exposure to the (Sr90) source. This disappearance or displacement of the beams indicates a kind of disintegration in the polymer chains. Increasing the percentage of nanopowder addition to the composite improves the mechanical.