Microscopic Observation of Nuclear Track Pores in Polymeric Membranes

Naveen K. Acharya

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DOI: 10.4236/eng.2011.36076                

Abstract

Nuclear track pores were develop and observed in polycarbonate and LR-115 membranes. The polymer membranes were irradiated by swift heavy ions (SHI) and etched chemically. The stopping range of heavy ion is larger than the thickness of the membrane. The fluence of ions was changes from 10³ to 10⁷ ions-cm_-2. The etching time was increased till pore size reaches up to micron range. The etching conditions were set to develop the porous tracks. The tracks are revealed under optical microscope as the size reaches up to micron or sub-micron size. The size was measured using standard electron diffraction grid. Results show that the porous tracks having average size of 2.4 micron can be developed in polycarbonate, while 5 - 10 micron porous tracks can be developed in LR-115.

Keywords

Nuclear Track Pore, Polymer Membrane, Ion Irradiation, Chemical Etching

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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