EFFECTS OF PRE-SOAKING ON CHARACTERISTICS OF LEXAN POLYCARBONATE

Electrochemical etching (ECE) of lexan polycarbonate, previously expos ed to alpha particles, with potassium hydroxide/ethanol/water (PEW) af ter swelling by methanol lend To the increased diameter of alpha-track s and extended the range of the alpha particle energies registered. Co mparison was also made with polycarbonate ECE etched with PEW but pre- soaked in ethanol. However, the former proved to be the superior metho d. X-ray diffraction of 500 mu m thick lexan foils before and after sw elling by methanol showed that methanol reduced the two-dimensional or der in which the polymer chains are normally parallel and well packed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.