Ion beam irradiation of polytetrafluroethylene-loaded polyetheretherketone

Experiments were performed to study the radiation tolerance and mechanical stability of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) loaded polyetheretherketone (PEEK) exposed to alpha particle radiation. Accelerator generated alpha beams were used to provide the extreme upper limit for the radiation environment of actinide sources where the polymer is employed in real applications. Before irradiation, a simplistic approach was used to determine possible exposures/doses a polymer could receive from a variety of actinides. Volatile gas emission from the polymer as a result of alpha radiolysis was measured by a quadruple mass spectrometer. Mechanical properties of irradiated polymer were measured to assure the robustness of the product in radiation environments. Results of all measurements indicate that PEEK performs excellently in alpha particle radiation environments. Volatile fragments generated from the polymer during alpha radiolysis are not observed to interact with nearby reactive metals such as actinides themselves to form undesirable compounds.