The blocks of phenolphthalein poly(ether sulfone) (PES-C) were prepared by hot pressing. Then the blocks were irradiated with electron beams under N-2 atmosphere at room temperature. The structural and tribological responses of PES-C on electron irradiation were investigated. Results showed that partial degradation took place on the surface of PES-C after electron irradiation. Even so, the infrared spectra (FTIR) of PES-C after electron irradiation maintained much memory of the pristine sample, the reason for this might be due to the radiation-resistant property of PES-C and the less damage caused by the lower liner energy transfer of electron with respect to other ions. In addition, amorphous carbon and carbides formed on the surface of PES-C after electron irradiation. Friction and wear tests revealed that with increasing irradiation dose, it took more time for the friction coefficient to decrease from a higher value to a lower one and level off. And the wear rate decreased with the increase of irradiation dose. It was concluded that the variation of the tribological behavior of PES-C resulted from its structural responses on electron irradiation on the surface. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.