Study of surface activation of PET by low energy (keV) Ni+ and N+ ion implantation

Polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) has been modified by 100 keV Ni+ and N+ ions using metal ion from volatile compound (MIVOC) ion source to fluence ranging from 1 × 1014 to 1 × 1016 ions/cm2. The increasing application of polymeric material in technological and scientific field has motivated the use of surface treatment to modify the physical and chemical properties of polymer surfaces. When a material is exposed to ionization radiation, it suffers damage leading to surface activation depending on the type. The surface morphology was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). That show the roughness increases with fluence in both the cases. The Ni particles as precipitation in PET were observed by cross-section transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). The optical band gap (Eg) deduced from absorption spectra; was calculated by Tau'c relation. Raman spectroscopy shows quantitatively the chemical nature at the damage caused by the Ni+ and N+ bombardment. The ration of ID/IG shows graphite-like structure is formed on the surface. A layer of hydrogenated amorphous carbon is formed on the surface, which has confirmed by XPS results also.