SAXS investigation of un-etched and etched ion tracks in polycarbonate

Investigation of the ion track morphologies and track etching behaviour in polycarbonate (PC) films was carried out using synchrotron based small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. The tracks were induced by Au ions with kinetic energies of 1.7 and 2.2 GeV with applied fluences between 1 × 1010 and 1 × 1012 ions/cm2. The average radii of the un-etched tracks were studied as a function of the irradiation fluence, indicating a general ion induced degradation of the polymer, with a simultaneous increase in ion track radius from 2.6 ± 0.002 nm to 3.4 ± 0.03 nm. Chemical etching of the ion tracks in PC leads to the formation of cylindrical pores. The pore radius increases linearly with etching time. In 3 M NaOH at 55 °C, a radial etching rate of 9.2 nm/min is observed.