Carbon ion irradiation induced surface modification of polypropylene

Abstract Polypropylene was irradiated with 12 C ions of 3.6 and 5.4 MeV energies in the fluence range of 5×10 13 –5×10 14  ions/cm 2 using 3 MV tandem accelerator. Ion penetration was limited to a few microns and surface modifications were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. At the lowest ion fluence only blister formation of various sizes (1–6 μm) were observed, but at higher fluence (1×10 14  ions/cm 2 ) a three-dimensional network structure was found to form. A gradual degradation in the network structure was observed with further increase in the ion fluence. The dose dependence of the changes on surface morphology of polypropylene is discussed.