Implant doping in radiation vulcanized natural rubber latex using N+ ions

Recently, we have demonstrated that implant doping can create an insulator-semiconductor transition in Natural Rubber (cis 1,4 polyisoprene), a member of the well-known butadiene family, in the unvulcanized state using N+ ion. Here we report, for the first time, the ion beam bombardment in Radiation Vulcanized Natural Rubber Latex using N+ ion with energy 60 KeV in the fluence range of 1014 to 1016 ions/cm2. The electrical conductivity shows about 10 orders of magnitude compared to the virgin state and is found to be increase with increasing fluence rate. Besides the UV/Vis and FTIR spectroscopic studies indicate the presence of new peaks with increase of fluence suggests the formation of an ion beam induced conjugation in the Natural Rubber backbone. A dramatic reduction in the optical band gap with the ion fluence, as deduced from the absorption spectra, revealed the resulting substrate to be conducting. (author)