Effect of gamma irradiation on the etching and optical properties of a newly developed nuclear track detector called (PNADAC) homopolymer

Abstract

In the present work, we have determined the bulk-etch rates of a newly developed track detector called poly-[N-allyloxycarbonyl diethanolamine-bis allylcarbonate] (PNADAC) homopolymer at different temperatures to deduce its activation energy. The energy of activation is found to be (1.02 +/- 0.04)eV. This compares very well with the values of activation energy reported in the literature for the most commonly used nuclear track detectors. The effects of gamma irradiation on this new detector in the dose range of 4.7-14.5 Mrad have also been studied using UV-visible spectroscopic technique. The optical band gaps of the unirradiated and the gamma-irradiated detectors determined from the UV-visible spectra were found to decrease with the increase in gamma dose. These results have been explained on the basis of scission of the detector due to gamma irradiation.