Abstract
Irradiation of polymers has become an important technique in producing special materials for electronic applications. In this study, the effects of electron and gamma irradiation on ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) samples have been studied using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The UHMWPE samples were irradiated with electron and gamma rays with doses ranging from 25 kGy up to 500 kGy. An increase in the optical absorption and a shifting from the UV-Vis towards longer wavelengths were observed. Concomitantly, a pronounced decrease in the optical band gap was recorded as a function of dose level. The optical band gap E
g
varied from 2.86 eV for a pristine sample down to ∼1.98 eV and ∼2 eV for samples irradiated with gamma rays and electrons at the highest doses, respectively. A correlation between E
g
and the number of carbon atoms N in a formed cluster is discussed in terms of a modified Tauc equation.