Ultraviolet sensitization of high-energy heavy-ion tracks in polyethylene terephthalate

Abstract

The reasons underlying the selective acceleration of the etching of heavy-ion tracks in polyethylene terephthalate irradiated by ultraviolet radiation (UV) are examined. The use of high-performance liquid chromatography, atomic-force microscopy, and infrared (IR) spectroscopy enable us to ascertain that etching is accelerated mainly due to the photodestruction of radiolysis products, which leads to the formation of an additional amount of low-molecular products with carboxyl groups in the region of tracks, thereby ultimately accelerating the polymer-etching process.