The structural, optical, and morphological properties of Co60 ? irradiation on poly(ethylene terephthalate) polymer samples were studied with X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultravioletvisible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The diffraction pattern of virgin sample showed that the polymer was semicrystalline in nature. However, because of irradiation, the crystallinity decreased up to a dose level of 110 kGy and increased up to 300 kGy. The crystallite size, strain, and dislocation were calculated from the XRD data, and the crystallite size decreased from 291.07 to 346.90 angstrom. The absorption edge shifted from 315 to 330 nm, and the band gap of the samples decreased from 3.79 to 3.66 eV. The SEM micrographs showed radial bulging along with inhomogeneous liner exfoliation, and also, a rocky shape pattern with different sizes was observed. A significant change was found in the Raman spectra of the ?-irradiated polymer at the highest dose. The results of the structural, optical, and morphological studies show recovery characteristics at the highest dose level of 300 kGy. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012