SURFACE EFFECTS ON A POLYSULFONE INDUCED BY X-RAY-BEAM, ELECTRON-BEAM, OR ION-BEAM

In the radiolysis or during proton or electron bombardment of aromatic polyethersulphones, homolytic main-chain scission at the C-S bond is thought to be the principal degradation step, followed by a scission of the adjacent C-S bond liberating SO2. C-O bond cleavage is considered to be another important step of degradation. The authors report some XPS data on the x-ray, electron-, or ion-beam induced chemical changes of an aromatic polyethersulphone. They demonstrate that, at least on the polymer surface and in the low kev range, other chemical processes may also be of importance in the degradation mechanism.