{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,27]],"date-time":"2026-09-27T10:19:26Z","timestamp":1790504366590,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,25]],"date-time":"2021-11-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1637798400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In the context of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic and because of the surgical and FFP2 mask (equivalent to the American N95 masks) shortages, studies on efficient sterilization protocols were initiated. As sterilization using irradiation is commonly used in the medical field, this method was among those that were evaluated. In this work, we tested irradiation under vacuum and under air (under both \u03b3-rays and e-beams), but also, for acceptance purposes, undertook washing prior to the e-beam irradiation sterilization process. This article deals with the modifications induced by the sterilization processes at the molecular and the macromolecular scales on an FFP2 mask. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance mode, size-exclusion chromatography and thermal-desorption\u2013gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry were used to characterize possible damage to the materials. It appeared that the modifications induced by the different sterilization processes under vacuum were relatively tenuous and became more significant when irradiation was performed using \u03b3-rays under air.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym13234107","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,1]],"date-time":"2021-12-01T02:34:05Z","timestamp":1638326045000},"page":"4107","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Sterilization Induced Changes in Polypropylene-Based Ffp2 Masks"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Emmanuel","family":"Richaud","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratoire PIMM, Arts et Metiers Institute of Technology, CNRS, CNAM, HESAM Universit\u00e9, 151 bd de l\u2019Hopital, 75013 Paris, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muriel","family":"Ferry","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CEA, Service d\u2019Etude du Comportement des Radionucl\u00e9ides, Universit\u00e9 Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Floriane","family":"Carpentier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CEA, Service d\u2019Etude du Comportement des Radionucl\u00e9ides, Universit\u00e9 Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sophie","family":"Rouif","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ionisos SAS, 13 Chemin du Pontet, 69380 Civrieux-d\u2019Azergues, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laurent","family":"Cortella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ArcNucleart, CEA Grenoble, 17 Avenue des Martyrs, CEDEX 9, 38054 Grenoble, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"St\u00e9phane","family":"Esnouf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CEA, Service d\u2019Etude du Comportement des Radionucl\u00e9ides, Universit\u00e9 Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"584036","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2020.584036","article-title":"Controlled heat and humidity-based treatment for the reuse of personal protective equipment: A pragmatic proof-of-concept to address the mass shortage of surgical masks and N95\/FFP2 respirators and to prevent the SARS-CoV2 transmission","volume":"7","author":"Bernard","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front. 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