Sensitization of polymeric track detectors with carbon dioxide

The effect of CO2 on the sensitivity of polymeric track detectors was studied. It has been found that the sensitivity of SR-90 is dependent on the amount of CO2 dissolved in the polymer at the time of etching. It has been also found that CR-39 can be sensitized to some extent with an ageing in CO2. Since the sensitization in CO2 is possible even a long time after the irradiation, the mechanism of the latent track formation by CO2 is quite different from that by O2. This would be the key to achieve the long term stability of polymeric track detectors such as SR-90 and CR-39. (author)