Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was copolymerized with triethoxyvinylsilane (TEVS) using 60Co-γ radiation at varying masses of the liquid monomers in the feed. Their homopolymers PMMA and PTEVS were also prepared by the same method. Thin copolymer and homopolymer blend films were prepared by dissolving the polymers in tetrahydrofuran and casting on clean Teflon or glass substrates. Analysis of the surface composition of these films using XPS indicated that the surfaces of the blend films were completely covered by PTEVS after 10% composition by weight. Similar analysis on the copolymer films, however, revealed that the surfaces of the copolymers contain comparable amounts of PMMA and PTEVS in agreement with the bulk analysis using infrared spectrometry. Hence, use of PMMA/PTEVS copolymers for stone preservation seems feasible by radiation induced polymerization. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.