Modification of chitosan-based biodegradable polymer by irradiation with MeV ions for electrolyte applications

Effect of swift heavy ion irradiation on electrical and optical properties of chitosan-based solid polymer electrolyte system, prepared by the solution casting technique, was investigated. The solid polymer electrolyte films were irradiated with C+5 and Ni+7 ions of energy 60 and 100 MeV, respectively, at different fluences. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the transformation of chitosan structure to the amorphous phase due to the addition of salt. FTIR spectra showed diverse vibrational modes and scissioning of bonds due to ion beam irradiations. Ions produce volatile low-molecular-weight species and results in the evolution of gas during irradiation processes. The polymer electrolyte became carbon rich with more conjugated bonds and diminished the band gap, as found by the UV-Vis analysis. The variable parameters obtained by the Bergman fitting specify that the relaxation process in the polymeric matrix is non-Debye, and the conductivity of electrolyte enhanced as a function of beam parameters.