Spectroscopic investigation of gamma irradiated PAA-graphite membranes

Electrical conductivity and structural properties of PAA-graphite membranes after gamma irradiation at D = 1.7 KGy, have been studied. The electrical conductivity of pure PAA membranes is very low, but the introduction of small quantity of graphite increases this property significantly due to the connections established between the graphite trapped in the polymeric holes. The electrical conductivity of the doped membranes increases after irradiation. This behaviour is correlated with the modification of the local ordered structure of the polymeric matrix and the apparition of supplementary unpaired electrons from the graphite. These microscopic modifications have been investigated by XRD and ESR methods.