EFFECT OF POST-GAMMA RADIATION ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF HYBRID GAMMA-PEROXIDE VULCANIZED NATURAL RUBBER LATEX FILMS

Abstract

One of the common sterilization method used in Malaysia is gamma radiation because it is the fastest, easiest and the most importanty it is a cold process. However, there is one major drawback to this method because gamma sterilization requires relatively high irradiation dose; minimum of 25 kGy as required by ISO 11137 standard. This high sterilization dose is  known of it capability to break chemical bonds in a medical devices and caused its mechanical properties (tensile strenght) to decline. In this study, hybrid gamma-peroxide vulcanized natural rubber latex (HGPVL) films were post-gamma irradiated at 25 and 35 kGy to investigate the extent of damage or degradation when the samples were exposed to extreme irradiation dose. At 25 and 35 kGy post-gamma irradiation, tensile strenght of HGPVL films were found to decrease at 8.0 % and 15 % respectively compared to control (26.5 MPa) due to degradation of their polymeric network.