Resolving the electronic and nuclear effects of MeV ions in polymers

The electronic and nuclear stopping effects produced by MeV ion bombardment in polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) and polyethylene (PE) were separated by stacking thin films of the polymers. The resulting layered system consisting of each polymer was bombarded with 3.5 and 5.0 MeV alpha particles, A layered system was selected such that the first layers experienced most of the effects of the electronic energy deposited and the last layers received most of the effects of the nuclear stopping. The electrical conductance and the changes in the chemical structure were measured by direct resistivity measurements, Raman microprobe analysis and FTIR. Post-irradiation analyses of the films indicated differences in these properties in the various film layers which are attributed to the individual effects of the stopping powers in the polymer films.