Investigating ion irradiation effects for modifying optical properties of CA/PANI films

In this study, flexible CA/PANI films, consisting of polyaniline (PANI) and cellulose acetate (CA), were created via a solution cast production process. Then, these films were irradiated using of handmade cold cathode ion device with argon fluence of 2x1017, 4x1017, and 6x1017 ions/cm2. The SRIM program was used to investigate the ion penetration depth, ion distribution in the composite and the energy stopping loss. Moreover, the FTIR technique was used to identify the changes of the treated CA/PANI. The UV-Vis technique was used to show the impact of argon beam on the optical characteristics of CA/PANI composite film. The oscillation energy (E0) dropped from 8.88 for CA/PANI to 7.83, 6.42, and 5.19 eV after exposed to 2x1017, 4x1017, and 6x1017 ions/cm2. The results showed that the ion altered the optical characteristics of the CA/PANI samples, which allow for applied these irradiated CA/PANI films in optoelectronic devices.