Ion track etching in PVDF irradiated with a uniform ion beam in an oxygen atmosphere

酸素雰囲気下で均一イオンビームを照射したPVDF中のイオントラックのエッチング

喜多村 茜; 八巻 徹也; 百合 庸介; 越川 博; 澤田 真一; 湯山 貴裕

Kitamura, Akane; Yamaki, Tetsuya; Yuri, Yosuke; Koshikawa, Hiroshi; Sawada, Shinichi; Yuyama, Takahiro

Ion track membranes of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) are produced by chemical etching using a strong oxidant in an alkali solution after irradiation with an ion beam in vacuum. The oxidant erodes not only ion tracks but also a pristine surface of PVDF. Therefore, it causes serious deterioration in the quality of PVDF membranes. We have developed a track etching technique without any oxidant by irradiation with an ion beam in an oxygen atmosphere. PVDF films were irradiated with 330-MeV Ar ions in an oxygen atmosphere using a uniform-beam formation/irradiation system developed at the TIARA AVF-cyclotron facility. The maximum etching rate resulting from the present method was six times faster than that from the conventional method; furthermore, the maximum diameter of track-etched pores with the present method was more than twice as large as that in the conventional method. This suggests that the irradiation in oxygen can provide a useful technique of an oxidant-free track-etching process.