The effect of surfactant concentration on the geometry of pores resulting from etching of poly(ethylene naphthalate) films irradiated by high-energy ions

The influence of temperature and concentrations of an alkali and a surfactant in etching solutions on the structural and transport characteristics of membranes produced by etching latent tracks of high-energy heavy ions in poly(ethylene naphthalate) films has been studied. The presence of a surfactant provides the formation of spindle-shaped pores narrowing in the direction toward the film surfaces. A procedure has been developed for the quantitative assessment of the degree of widening of spindle-shaped pores in their central part. The transport properties of track membranes with spindle-shaped and cylindrical pores have been compared.