Inter-University Consortium for DAE Facilities, Calcutta Centre, Sector III, Block LB, Plot 8, Bidhannagar, Calcutta 700 98, India
Abstract:
Polypropylene was irradiated with 12C ions of 3.6 and 5.4 MeV energies in the fluence range of 5×1013–5×1014 ions/cm2 using 3 MV tandem accelerator. Ion penetration was limited to a few microns and surface modifications were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. At the lowest ion fluence only blister formation of various sizes (1–6 μm) were observed, but at higher fluence (1×1014 ions/cm2) a three-dimensional network structure was found to form. A gradual degradation in the network structure was observed with further increase in the ion fluence. The dose dependence of the changes on surface morphology of polypropylene is discussed.