Modifications in electronic properties of polystyrene methacrylic acid by neutralization and fast electrons.

In this study an ionomer, an ion-containing polymer, was investigated at various degrees of neutralization and irradiated by fast electrons to see the effects on its properties by an electron-microscope-electron-spectroscopy system. It was found that electronic and chemical structures of the polymer can be changed dramatically by neutralization and irradiation. The modifications by neutralization may be attributed to reversible cross-linking and resultant vulnerability due to residual strain while those by irradiation to irreversible cross-linking and scission. The combination of neutralization and irradiation can change the chemistry of the polymer rapidly but in a controllable manner. It can also manipulate the size of the band gap and the type of interband transition along with the degree of the modifications. Since the modifications can be induced in a nanoscale area by convergent electrons the results of the current study may lead to utilizing an ionomer for nanotechnology.