The influence of phenyl and other aromatic groups on radiation crosslinking
of polydimethylsiloxane and its mechanical blends and copolymers with poly
diphenylsiloxane and polyphenylsilsesquioxane, radiation-induced gas evolut
ion, and radical generation in these systems were considered, It was shown
that radiation-chemical yields of crosslinking and gas evolution follow a s
imple exponential law over a wide concentration range of phenyl groups (at
their content above 1 mol %). A similar dependence was observed for the rad
iation-chemical yield of hydrogen in ethylene copolymers with styrene. For
the crosslinking processes, it was proved that the effect of phenyl groups
is identical in the mechanical blends and copolymers of polyorganosiloxanes
. The effect of retardation of radiation-chemical processes by phenyl group
s was shown to be independent of whether one or two groups is linked to a s
ilicon atom, it is their total amount that matters.