Investigation of porous structure in the PET films irradiated with Ar ions

The process of etching through pores of small radii in polyethylenetherephthalate films irradiated with Ar ions having the energy of 1 MeV/u was studied. The etching process of ion tracks was sensitized by UV illumination and by soaking in the solvent at room temperature. Information about the pore shapes and sizes was obtained with electron microscopy methods both at the film surface and in the bulk of the films depending on etching duration. It was found that with etching in 2 N NaOH solution, through pores may be obtained with diameters from 70 nm to several micrometers. The pores have regular cylindrical shape throughout the entire range of sizes.