This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.
M Dhana Lakshmi,
N. Rajeswara Rao,
A. Raju,
D. Suresh,
B Somanadha sharma,
- Research scholar, Department of Physics & Electronics, Chaitanya Deemed to Be University, Himayath nagar (V), Moinabad (M), Ranga Reddy(D), Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Aditya University, Surampalem, Andhra Pradesh, India
- A. Raju, Department of Physics & Electronics, Chaitanya Deemed to Be University, Himayath nagar (V), Moinabad (M), Ranga Reddy(D), Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- Professor, Department of Physics & Electronics, Chaitanya Deemed to Be University, Himayath nagar (V), Moinabad (M), Ranga Reddy(D), Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- Principal, Department of Physics,TGTWR Degree college Men, Sanga Reddy, Telangana, India
Abstract
Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is an important commercial biodegradable polyester whose properties are dictated by its molecular architecture and semicrystalline nature. The application of ionizing radiation particularly gamma rays and electron beams is extensive for sterilization and materials processing. The effect of ionizing radiation on the crystallinity of PLA is complex however, since irradiation causes concurrently chain scission, radical formation, oxidation, recombination and mobility driven structural reorganization. This work studies the crystalline development of PLA under the influence of gamma and electron beams, focusing on the combined effects of absorbed dosage and dose rate. The variations of interplanar spacing and crystallite size and their dependence on radiation exposure were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. Overall, a decrease in the interplanar distance was observed for both irradiation techniques which modifies the crystalline lattice of PLA. The lattice distortion (micro-strain) parameter of gamma and electron beam (EB) irradiated PLA was calculated by Williamson-Hall method. The results also depicted that the irradiation methods have a strong influence on the size of the crystallites, but not on the internal lattice distortion in the crystalline zones. Form the Xc vs. Dose graph, it is evident that EB irradiated PLA shows promising result to be as a reference material in radiation dosimetry applications. This framework will enable improved design of radiation processing conditions for PLA materials used in packaging, biomedical and advanced polymer applications.
Keywords: PLA, EB & gamma radiation, XRD, Williamson-Hall analysis, dosimetry
References
1. Avinc O, Khoddami A. Overview of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) fibre. Fibre Chem. 2010;42: 68-78. doi:10.1007/s10692-010-9226-7.
2. Auras R, Lim LT, Selke SEM, Tsuji H, editors. Poly (lactic acid): synthesis, structures, properties, processing, and applications. Hoboken (NJ): John Wiley & Sons; 2010. doi:10.1002/9780470649848.
3. Lim LT, Auras R, Rubino M. Processing technologies for poly (lactic acid). Prog Polym Sci. 2008;33(8):820-852. doi: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2008.05.004.
4. Tsuji H. Poly(lactide) stereocomplexes: formation, structure, properties, degradation, and applications. Macromol Biosci. 2005;5(7):569-597. doi:10.1002/mabi.200500062.
5. Saeidlou S, Huneault MA, Li H, Park CB. Poly (lactic acid) crystallization. Prog Polym Sci. 2012;37(12):1657-1677. doi: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2012.07.005.
6. Cleland MR, Parks LA, Cheng S. Applications for radiation processing of materials. Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res B. 2003; 208:66-73. doi:10.1016/S0168-583X (03)00655-4.
7. Sintzel MB, Merkli A, Tabatabay C, Gurny R. Influence of irradiation sterilization on polymers used as drug carriers: a review. Drug Dev Ind Pharm. 1997;23(9):857-879. doi:10.3109/03639049709148693.
8. Loo JSC, Ooi CP, Boey YCF. Degradation of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) and poly(L-lactide) by electron beam radiation. Biomaterials. 2005;26(12):1359-1367. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2004.05.001.
9. Nugroho P, Mitomo H, Yoshii F, Kume T. Degradation of poly (L-lactic acid) by gamma irradiation. Polym Degrad Stab. 2001;72(2):337-343. doi:10.1016/S0141-3910(01)00030-1.
10. Bhateja SK. Radiation-induced crystallinity changes in linear polyethylene. J Macromol Sci Phys. 1982;21(1):101-117. doi:10.1002/POL.1983.180210404.
11. Drumright RE, Gruber PR, Henton DE. Polylactic acid technology. Adv Mater. 2000;12(23):1841-1846. doi:10.1002/1521-4095(200012)12:233.0.CO;2-E.
12. Zhang Y, Müller MT, Boldt R, Stommel M. Electron-induced alteration of PLA chain structure. ACS Appl Polym Mater. 2024;6(1):419-432. doi:10.1021/acsapm.3c02111.
13. Knez K, Gohs U, Buchholtz SA, Heinz M, Beuermann S, Wiesmann HP, et al. Low-energy electron beam induced surface modification of polylactic acid (PLA). J Radioanal Nucl Chem. 2026; 335:1601-1614. doi:10.1007/s10967-025-10568-3.
14. Ghaani M, Entezam M, Gholami R, Ahmadi M. Poly (lactic acid) processability treatment through electron beam irradiation: optimization of dose and crosslinking agent amount. Macromol Mater Eng. 2025;310(10):00099. doi:10.1002/mame.202500099.
15. Qi Y, Gohs U, Knez K, Gude M, Zhang X, Harre K. Influence of low-energy electron beam treatment on crystallization of PLLA and PLLA/PDLA blends. Radiat Phys Chem. 2026:113878. doi: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2026.113878.
16. Södergård A, Stolt M. Properties of lactic acid based polymers and their correlation with composition. Prog Polym Sci. 2002;27(6):1123-1163. doi:10.1016/S0079-6700(02)00012-6.
17. Nakka R, Venkatappa Rao T, Sanjeeva Rao B, Shanmukhi PSV. Electron beam radiation modification on chemical, thermal and crystalline properties of poly (L-lactic acid). Indian J Pure Appl Phys. 2021;59(10):715-722. Available from: http://nopr.niscpr.res.in/handle/123456789/58308.
18. Charlesby A. Atomic radiation and polymers. Oxford: Pergamon Press; 1960.
19. Singh A, Silverman J. Radiation processing of polymers. Munich: Hanser Publishers; 1992.
20. Spieckermann F, Wilhelm H, Kerber MB, Schafler E, Polt G, Bernstorff S, et al. Determination of lamella thickness distributions in isotactic polypropylene by X-ray line profile analysis. Polymer. 2010;51(18):4195-4199. doi: 10.1016/j.polymer.2010.07.009.
21. Williamson GK, Hall WH. X-ray line broadening from filed aluminium and wolfram. Acta Metall. 1953; 1:22-31.
22. Cullity BD, Stock SR. Elements of X-ray diffraction. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Prentice Hall; 2001.
23. Chen C, Guo X, Zhao G, Yao Y, Zhu Y. Effects of electron irradiation on structure and bonding of polymer spherulite thin films. Polymer. 2022; 256:125195. doi: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.125195.
24. Navarro R, Burillo G, Adem E, Marcos-Fernández A. Effect of ionizing radiation on the chemical structure and the physical properties of polycaprolactones of different molecular weight. Polymers (Basel). 2018;10(4):397. doi:10.3390/polym10040397.
25. Nakka RR, Thumu VR, Reddy SVS, Buddhiraju SR. The study of gamma irradiation effects on poly (glycolic acid). Radiat Eff Defects Solids. 2015;170(7-8):548-559. doi:10.1080/10420150.2015.1036423.
Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 | |
| 04 | ||
| Received | 29/07/2026 | |
| Accepted | 22/08/2026 | |
| Published | 19/09/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 52 Days |