Track formation, latent

Colder A, Canut B, Levalois M, Marie P, Portier X, Ramos SMM (2002) Latent Track Formation in GaAs Irradiated with 20, 30, and 40MeV Fullerenes, J Appl Phys 91(9) 5853-5857... 

Yoshida M, Kimura Y, Chen J, Asano M, Maekawa Y (2009) Preparation of PTFE-based fuel cell membranes by combining latent track formation technology with graft polymerization. 

During irradiation by swift ions, latent ion tracks are formed along the path of the ions. After irradiation, the material is subjected to chemical treatment leading to formation of the hollow channel from the latent ion track. The size and shape of the etched ion track is determined by the chemical processing. The etch process depends on the energy deposition density of the ion along its path, on the radiation... 

The latent tracks may be used both directly, for example, for creating of conducting nanowires in insulators due to the possibility of inserting any conducting material into these tracks (Fink et al. 2007), and after etching procedure with production of track-etched membranes (Chakarvarti 2009). The grafting functionalization of the ion tracks leads to the formation of highly proton-conductive electrolyte membranes for fuel cell applications (Clochard et al. 2010). 

Chemical etching is the process of pore formation during which the damaged zone of a latent track is removed and transformed into a hollow channel (pore) (29, 33). The most... 

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