Depletion of carbon in UHMW PE due to 340 keV D+ implantation

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Depletion of carbon in Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW PE) as a result of its radiolysis due to 340 keV D+ ion implantation up to a fluence of 1.8 × 1016 cm-2, has been observed by using the same beam in the RBS mode. Prolonged vacuum aging of the irradiated sample at room temperature does not show any further carbon (C) depletion which suggests the formation of low molecular weight fragments only, escaping instantaneously out of the sample. This has been explained on the basis of crystalline structure of UHMW PE. Unexpectedly low (= 20%) C-depleltion even at such a high dose (1000 M Gy) is explained on the basis of possible recombination of the radiolytically broken C–C bonds in the lamellar lattice. The C-depletion profile deduced from the Rutherford Back Scattering (RBS) spectra is unexpectedly Gaussian-like.