Investigation of radiation stability of optical properties of polypropylene modified with ZrO₂ nanoparticles

The results of studies of the nanoparticle modification effect on optical properties and their change after electron irradiation of polypropylene are presented. The object of the study was samples of polypropylene modified with different concentrations of zirconium dioxide nanoparticles. The diffuse reflection spectra in the range of 350–1,000 nm and in the infrared (IR) region were studied. The analysis of the changes in the intensity of absorption bands in the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum after irradiation of the samples has been performed. The optimal concentration of nanoparticles was determined to improve the radiation stability of polypropylene. An increase in the radiation stability compared to the unmodified sample was found to be 2.86 times with an optimum nanoparticle concentration of 1 wt%. The analysis of changes in the intensity of absorption bands in the visible and IR regions of the spectrum was done. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:3050–3055, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers