A STUDY OF THE ION BEAM GRAFT POLYMERIZATION METHOD —observation of graft chains in grafted polymers—

Graft polymerization method is one of the most effective methods to produce a new polymer which has a unique function. To produce the polymer, we have conducted experiments on radiation graft polymerization with several hundred-keV ion beams. After a high density polyethylene (PE) film was irradiated with H + beams, graft polymerization with monomer solution such as acrylic acid was conducted. Radicals generated by interaction between the beam ions and PE molecules become the start point of graft polymerization. Because a range in PE depends on ion energy, density distribution of graft chain can be controlled by ion energy. Using a mask with a thickness smaller than the ion range, PE sheets which contain graft chains only in the unmasked area were obtained. Multiple ion beam graft polymerization can produce a polymer which has some functional bases at specified position. We evaluated both the vertical and the lateral distributions of the graft chain in the sample with a microscope.