Investigating ion irradiation effects for modifying optical properties of CA/PANI films

In this study, flexible cellulose acetate (CA)/polyaniline (PANI) films, consisting of PANI and CA, were produced using a solution-casting production process. Then, these films were irradiated using a handmade cold cathode ion device with argon fluences of 2 × 10¹⁷, 4 × 10¹⁷ and 6 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm². The SRIM program was used to investigate the ion penetration depth, ion distribution in the composite and the energy stopping loss. Moreover, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique was used to identify changes in the treated CA/PANI. The ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy technique was used to show the impact of the argon beam on the optical characteristics of CA/PANI composite films. The oscillation energy (E₀) dropped from 8.88 eV for CA/PANI to 7.83, 6.42 and 5.19 eV after exposure to 2 × 10¹⁷, 4 × 10¹⁷ and 6 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm². The results showed that the ions altered the optical characteristics of the CA/PANI samples, which allow application of these irradiated CA/PANI films in optoelectronic devices.