© Пресс-служба ТУСУР
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.