ACCELERATED AGING STUDY OF GAMMA AND E-BEAM IRRADIATED POLY(ETHER-BLOCK-AMIDE) (PEBA)

摘要

Medical polymers require sterilization and must be able to maintain material properties for a specified shelf life. Sterilization can be achieved by using gamma or e-beam exposure. Shelf-life estimates of irradiated polymers are typically determined using data from accelerated aging in an oven and by using a simple degradation model assuming Arrhenius behavior. In this study, preliminary accelerated aging tests of two poly(ether-block-amides) (PEBA) copolymer samples is presented. PEBA copolymer samples with different polyether content that result in Shore hardness of 25D and 40D respectively, were sterilized using gamma or e-beam radiation followed by accelerated aging between 40℃ and 80℃. The objective was to find the best sterilization method for extending shelf life.