Track Recording Properties of Cellulose Nitrate (R) Plastic Track Detector for Accelerated Heavy Ions

Cellulose nitrate (Russian) plastic has been irradiated with Ne and 168O-ions from the Cyclotron at JINR, Dubna, USSR in order to investigate the track recording properties of the material. Etching in 6N NaOH solution is carried out at temperatures 30°, 40°, 50°, 60° and 70°C. The activation energy for bulk etching is (1.06±0.1) eV and that for track etching is (0.85±0.08 ) eV. We present the track etch rate, Vt vs range and Vt as a function of energy-loss, dE/dx, of 168O-ions. The response of the plastic can be be adjusted by altering the etch bath temperature. The maximum etched track length is compared with the theoretical range as well as with the range reported in literature. The effects of different annealing conditions on bulk etch rate of plastic detector and on diameters of 2010Ne-ion tracks have been presented. Experimental results show that there is a decrease in track etch rate. The annealing of oblique tracks shows that the vertical tracks are stable for longer periods than oblique tracks.