ION RECOMBINATION LUMINESCENCE IN POLYMER GLASSES INDUCED BY ELECTRON-IRRADIATION .1. HIGH VINYL POLYBUTADIENE

In the reported experiments, the luminescence of 1,2-polybutadiene was measured during and following irradiation with 1. 4-MeV electrons at 90 degree K. Measured under isothermal conditions, the light intensity at first increases sharply on start-up of irradiation, and then reaches a plateau after several seconds. The equilibrium value was found to be linearly dependent on the dose rate employed. The post-irradiation luminescence decay measured at 90 degree K follows second-order kinetics. Intermittent exposure of the irradiated sample to light of wavelengths lambda greater than 450 nm causes the isothermal luminescence decay to be interrupted by a burst of light emitted by the sample during and shortly following the light exposure. This treatment also results in considerably reduced intensity maxima during warm-up to room temperature. An interpretation of the findings reported is given on the basis of reactions involving primary and secondary transient species produced during irradiation and on the molecular parameters of the polybutadiene.