Modification induced by proton irradiation in Makrofol-DE polycarbonate

The melting temperature of the polymer, Tm, was investigated to probe the crystalline domains of the polymer. At a fluence range of 1014-1015/cm2, the defect generated destroys the crystalline structure, thereby reducing the melting temperature. Further, the transmission of these samples in the wavelength range of 200-2500nm, as well as any color changes, was studied. The color intensity ΔE* was greatly increased with increasing the proton fluence, and was accompanied by a significant increase in the red and yellow color components.