Effects of Ion Irradiation on Modifying Surface Characteristics and Dielectric Properties of PVA Polymeric Materials

In this work, PVA polymeric sheets were irradiated utilizing a homemade ion beam cold cathode source for use in optoelectronics applications. The PVA films were exposed to hydrogen beams with fluence range 8 x 10(17) to 24 x 10(17) ions.cm(-2). The structural and functional group characteristics of pure and treated PVA films were investigated using XRD and FTIR methods, which confirmed the success fabrication of the PVA films. In frequency of 10(2) to 5 x 10(6) Hz, the conductivity, electrical impedance, and dielectric modulus of untreated and treated samples were determined. The dielectric characteristics of PVA films exhibit a significant modification when subjected to a hydrogen beam. Additionally, after being exposed to 16 x 10(17) ions, the dielectric constant e' improved from 0.0078 for un-irradiated PVA to 0.0395, and conductivity changed from 8.87 x 10(-11) S cm(-1) to 3.32 x 10(-10) S cm(-1). Moreover, the relaxation time for PVA is reduced from 28.4 x 10(-5) s to 8.98 x 10(-5) s for 8 x 10(17) ions.cm(-2) and to 3.5 x 10(-5) s for 24 x 10(17) ions.cm(-2). The present study extends the potential use of the treated PVA films to a broader range of fields, including microelectronics.