Ionizing Radiation: Chemical Kinetics, Chemical Bounds, and Radiation Chemistry on Polymers

Abstract

Abstract: Ionizing radiation has been used for decades and expanded to several applications in multivariate sectors, becoming an important tool to promote controlled chemical reactions in poly-meric structures, according to their chemical properties for developing new materials. In addition, the use of radiation can also be applied in order to reduce or eliminate compounds from solutions that may be harmful or of low interest. In this review, we overviewed the chemistry behind material irradiation and the attractive use of ionizing radiation in scientific and industrial development. In this regard, the review was divided into three main sections titled (1) chemical kinetics intermediat-ed by radiation, (2) chemical bonds intermediated by radiation, and (3) radiation chemistry on pol-ymers. We concluded that graft polymerization, crosslinking and chain scission reactions induced by ionizing radiation are very efficient and green strategies for developing new materials with im-proved properties. Furthermore, water radiolysis plays a key role in the degradation of several con-taminants, including pharmaceuticals and microplastics, in aqueous solutions. However, more stud-ies must be conducted to complement the existing theory about the proposed mechanisms responsi-ble for modifying the chemical, mechanical, thermal, optical, and so forth properties of irradiated materials.