HE-NE Laser Induced Changes to CN-85 Polymer Track Detector

In this work, the induced changes in cellulose nitrate (CN-85) polymer track detector have been investigated. CN-85 samples were irradiated with He-Ne laser, at different fluencies. These investigations have been carried out by using UV-Vis spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. In addition, the wetting property and the surface free energy (SFE) of the irradiated samples have been studied by measuring the contact angle. The UV-Vis spectra showed that the absorption edge shifted towards longer wavelength region with increasing irradiation. This means that the optical band gap energy decreased by increasing the laser beam doses. The correlation between the number of carbon clusters and the optical band gap energy was discussed. XRD intensity showed a dominant amorphous with a partly crystalline phase. The surface wettability was evaluated by contact angle method (for water, dimethyl-formamide and glycerol), as well as, the surface free energy which was estimated using Owens-Wendt method. Furthermore, the surface roughness has been studied. (author).