TOMSK, Oct 14 – RIA Tomsk. Professor of Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR) Mikhail Mikhailov has studied the effects of radiation on polyethylene; the research will allow predicting changes in the properties and characteristics of polymeric materials in spacecraft, the university's press service said on Thursday.
According to federal media, the problem of protecting humans in deep space from the effects of radiation is one of the factors hindering further space exploration. Thus, according to TASS-Science, one of the proposed options for protecting astronauts is polyethylene helmets. Polyethylene has been used to protect astronauts before. For example, the Americans on the ISS use sleeping berths lined on all sides with polyethylene plates.
The study by Mikhail Mikhailov, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, Professor of TUSUR, is devoted to a method of determining the degree of degradation of various materials under the influence of radiation, the university's press service reports. The article was published in the highly rated scientific journal on polymers Polymer Degradation and Stability.
"The research of the TUSUR scientist will make it possible to understand the mechanisms of radiation degradation of polymer materials. <...> Mikhailov has established a pattern of accumulation of carbon clusters together with radicals during irradiation of polyethylene <...> The discovery will allow predicting changes in the properties and performance of polymeric materials used in spacecraft and other areas," says the report.
The research will further help understand the mechanisms of radiation degradation in other materials as well and provide expert evaluations.
"We will be able to understand what the behavior of materials will be at high doses of radiation or long periods of operation," Mikhailov is quoted.