Sensibilization of Chemical Etching of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Films Irradiated with Accelerated Xenon Ions

Processes of the sensibilization of alkaline etching are studied for poly(ethylene terephthalate) films irradiated with xenon ions with an energy of 1 MeV per nucleon. The photosensibilization of alkaline etching of latent tracks in poly(ethylene terephthalate) is shown to be due to photooxidation processes involving molecular oxygen dissolved in the polymer. Oxygen is assumed to form molecular complexes with aromatic rings of the macromolecules and polyester degradation products; these complexes absorb in the near ultraviolet spectral range (_max 310 nm) and initiate photooxidative degradation in poly(ethylene terephthalate) and in the substance of latent tracks. Ozone is shown to be an efficient sensibilizer of the chemical etching of the tracks. The photosensibilization and ozone sensibilization effects are greater in films irradiated with xenon ions, indicating a high selectivity of sensibilization processes in the latent tracks.