Electrical properties of ion irradiated polypropylene films

The effect of high-energy (50 MeV) Li3+ ion beam irradiation on polypropylene (PP) film has been studied in the fluence range 2.4 × 1012−l.5 × 1014 ions/cm2. The a.c. electrical properties of PP films were measured in the frequency range from 0.05– 100 kHz, and at temperature range between 30 and 140°C. This study indicates two peaks at 60°C and 120°C with comparatively high magnitudes. There is an exponential increase in conductivity with log of frequency and the effect is significant at higher fluences. The loss factor (tan δ) vs frequency plot suggests that PP film based capacitors may be useful below 10 kHz. The capacitance is constant over a wide temperature range up to 130°C. FTIR spectra of the PP films before and after irradiation indicate that intensity of C-H stretching vibration at 2900 cm−1 is modified. The presence of many new peaks with the increase of fluence suggests the formation of alkanes and alkynes which might be responsible for the observed changes in the dielectric and electrical properties of PP films.