Investigation on polycarbonate nanomembrane production based on alpha particles irradiation

Track-etched membranes were prepared in the Dosimetry Laboratory of Agricultural, Medical and Industrial Research School by exposing polycarbonate (PC) films with a thickness of about 20 μm to alpha particles emitted from 241Am followed by chemical etching in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at different temperatures and solution concentrations. The PC films were prepared using the method of chemical solving, forming and drying in a vacuum oven. The etching rate of PC was related to the concentration of etching solution, etching temperature and time. Therefore, a series of track-etched membranes were produced using different etching parameters. The relation between the etching rate and the etching parameters were established from experimental data and can be used to control the average pore sizes of the PC track-etched membrane. The pore sizes and their structures were studied by an optical microscope (OM) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the obtained results indicated that the pores across the PC films are cylindrically shaped.