Photochemical reactions of 9,10-anthraquinone and some of its derivatives in polyethylene

It has been established that the photocrosslinking of PE in the presence of 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and some of its derivatives was initiated not only during the photoreduction of AQ but also in some photochemical reactions of AQ photoproducts. Quantitative data including AQ photoreduction quantum yield, the number of crosslinks per AQ molecule and quantum yield of crosslinking were measured. The results enabled us to establish the mechanisms of both photochemical and dark reactions of AQ photoproducts in PE which have explained not only the spectral data but also the peculiarities of photochemical crosslinking of PE initiated by AQ.