Degradation of Flame-retardant Cross-linked Polyolefin Aged by Heat and Radiation

For investigating the degradation mechanism of flame-retardant cross-linked polyolefin (FR-XLPO), sheets of FR-XLPO were aged thermally with and without co-irradiation of gamma rays. As a result of the analysis conducted thermally and electrically, FR-XLPO was found to be degraded severer when it is aged purely thermally than when aged with the co-irradiation of gamma rays. It seems that FR-XLPO becomes more resistive against the degradation and the following bond scission by the formation of slightly cross-linked structures.