Argon ion implanted CR-39 polymer: Optical and structural characterization

Abstract The samples of Polyallyl diglycol Carbonate (CR-39) were implanted with 100 keV argon ions at fluences 1 × 1015, 5 × 1015 and 1 × 1016 ions/cm2 to be employed for optical and structural studies. The changes in transmittance, reflectance, optical energy gap and refractive index have been studied through the UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopic technique. The enhancement in reflectivity and a strong reduction in transmittance, particularly in the UV region, are observed after Ar+ implantation in CR-39 samples. The absorbance value remains low ~0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 in the key communication wavelength region i.e. 800–1600 nm for sample implanted at the fluence of 1 × 1015, 5 × 1015, 1 × 1016 Ar+/cm2, respectively. The Optical energy gap (EOPT) is determined to be 0.92 eV for the implanted layer of the sample implanted at the fluence of 1 × 1016 Ar+/cm2, whereas 3.70 eV for the pristine sample. The surface electrical conductivity is increased from ~1.49 × 10−14 S (pristine sample) to ~8.34 × 10−10 S for sample implanted at the fluence of 1 × 1016 Ar+/cm2. The formation of conjugated π-bond (-C C-) structure with Ar+ implantation is confirmed via FTIR and Raman measurements. TGA results are analysed in detail and are found to be in strong agreement with the changes observed in different properties of CR-39 after ion implantation.