# Mitigating Radiation Damage to Polyethylene in Transmission Electron Microscopy by Free Radical Scavengers

## TL;DR

This study shows that applying free radical scavengers can reduce radiation damage to polyethylene during electron microscopy, preserving its nanostructure.

## Contribution

A nonincorporative method using free radical scavenger coatings to mitigate beam damage in materials during TEM.

## Key findings

- Free radical scavengers reduce beam damage in polyethylene as measured by critical dose values.
- The protective effect is due to hydroxyl groups on phenols scavenging reactive radicals.
- This approach can be applied to various materials to preserve nanostructures during TEM.

## Abstract

Polyethylene (PE)
is the most extensively used semicrystalline polymer due to its wide
array of applications. The properties of PE are influenced by its
nanosized crystals and amorphous regions. Transmission electron microscopy
(TEM) is a vital tool for revealing the nanostructures within materials.
However, high-energy incident electrons can inflict radiolysis damage
through electron irradiation, resulting in the loss of crucial information
regarding crystallization. In this study, we examine the effect of
free radical scavengers on PE as an approach to mitigating beam damage.
Quantifying the beam damage by critical dose (D
c) values from the decay of electron diffraction (ED) peaks
shows that the beam damage of PE in TEM can be mitigated by casting
an aqueous solution containing a free radical scavenger on PE crystals.
The protective effect of the free radical scavenger is attributed
to the efficient scavenging of reactive radical species by its hydroxyl
group on phenols. This study highlights a nonincorporative approach
into materials to mitigate the beam damage by the coating of free
radical scavengers on all kinds of materials.