Bulletin of Electrical Engineering and Informatics Vol. 14, No. 2, April 2025, pp. 823~832 ISSN: 2302-9285, DOI: 10.11591/eei.v14i2.7940  823 Journal homepage: http://beei.org Effect of gamma radiation on semi-crystalline polyvinyl chloride polymer for low-voltage cable insulator Antonio Gogo Hutagaol 1 , Muhammad Ilham Bayquni 1 , Jan Setiawan 2 , Dwi Putranto 3 , Usman Sudjadi 1 , Sungkono 1 , Rosika Kriswarini 1 , Masrukan 1 , Muhamad Yasin Yunus 4 1 Research Center for Nuclear Materials and Radioactive Waste Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), KST B.J. Habibie, Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia 2 Research Center for Advance Materials, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), KST B.J. Habibie, Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia 3 PT. Sinarmonas Industries, Tangerang, Indonesia 4 Research Center for Radiation Processing Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), KST B.J. Habibie, Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia Article Info ABSTRACT Article history: Received Dec 6, 2023 Revised Oct 7, 2024 Accepted Nov 19, 2024 This study explores the properties of semi-crystalline polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer as insulation material for low-voltage (LV) cables under high gamma radiation exposure. Test samples underwent gamma radiation ( 60 Co) at doses of 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 kGy. The evaluation encompassed surface morphology, electrical conductivity, thermal characteristics, and mechanical properties via tensile tests. Electron microscopy observation indicated surface smoothing and flattening occurred at an irradiation dose of 800 kGy. Gamma radiation with increasing doses results in similar thermogram profiles with slight differences in melting temperature and residue mass. The sample irradiated at a gamma dose of 25 kGy generates an increase in the percentage of crystallinity, indicating the occurrence of crosslinking, while other doses exhibit a decrease of crystallinity with increasing radiation dose. Tensile stress significantly dropped up to 400 kGy but increased at 800 kGy. Elongation at break (EAB) decreased with higher gamma radiation doses. Overall, materials up to 800 kGy remained non-brittle, serving as effective insulators and demonstrating thermal stability within high gamma radiation exposure conditions. Keywords: Cable insulation Gamma radiation Mechanical properties Polyvinyl chloride Thermal properties This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license. Corresponding Author: Antonio Gogo Hutagaol Research Center for Nuclear Materials and Radioactive Waste Technology National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), KST BJ. Habibie Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia Email: anto001@brin.go.id 1. INTRODUCTION The environment that cables must contend with varies depending on their installation location and intended use, encompassing high temperatures, gamma radiation, humidity, corrosive environments, and mechanical stresses [1]. The most used insulating material for wiring in low-voltage (LV) services is polyvinyl chloride (PVC) [2], the second most produced polymer worldwide [3] and it is also among the most widely manufactured synthetic plastics [4]. This is attributed to its superior mechanical and dielectric characteristics, excellent chemical resistance, lightweight nature, ease of processing, and affordable manufacturing [5]–[7]. However, polymers are more readily degraded by ion radiation than are metals and inorganic materials. Following the first high-energy radiation reaction, which includes the ionization and excitation of outer electrons as well as the production of free radicals, polymer molecular chains undergo