@article { ISI:000284374500018,
	title = {Effect of gamma-dose rate on biodegradation of gamma-sterilized biomedical polyolefins},
	journal = {Journal of Polymers and the Environment},
	volume = {18},
	number = {4},
	year = {2010},
	month = {DEC},
	pages = {600-607},
	publisher = {SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS},
	address = {233 SPRING ST, NEW YORK, NY 10013 USA},
	abstract = {<p>The aim of the present study is to study the effect of gamma-dose rate on the biodegradation of gamma-sterilized polyolefins. Films of isotactic polypropylene, high density polyethylene and ethylene-propylene (EP) copolymer were sterilized under gamma-radiation with doses of 10 and 25 kGy. Two different (60)Co sources were used with dose rate 600 and 780 Gy h(-1). Neat and sterilized samples were incubated in compost and fungal culture environments. The changes in functional groups, surface morphology and intrinsic viscosity in polymer chains were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM and viscometric measurements, respectively. It was observed that both gamma-degradation and biodegradation processes depend on the dose rate of gamma-source. It was found that the biodegradation of gamma-sterilized polyolefins in composting and microbial culture environments increased with decreasing the gamma-dose rate.</p>},
	keywords = {Biodegradation, Composting and fungal culture, gamma-Dose rate, Polyolefins, Sterilization},
	issn = {1566-2543},
	doi = {10.1007/s10924-010-0217-9},
	author = {Alariqi, Sameh A. S. and Singh, R. P.}
}
