One of the methods of polymeric material modification is based on the irradiation with accelerated ions. Chemical etching of ion tracks in polymers is a method which is widely used in the fabrication of micro/nano-structures with predetermined characteristics. For the present study polyvinyl butyral (PVB) porous membrane was prepared by track-etching technique. Commercially available PVB film was irradiated by 30 MeV energy protons to form latent tracks, and then etched chemically by potassium hydroxide (KOH) with the different normalities. The etching rate of PVB was related to the concentration of etching reagent, temperature and time. The porous size and shape were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) after and before etching. Relationships in between the etching rate and the etching parameters were established from experimental data, and can be used to control the pore size of PVB track-etch membrane. The Pore sizes and their structures were evaluated by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results have shown the micro/nano-pores formation in the PVB films. The physico-chemical properties of the irradiated samples were investigated and compared with the un-irradiated one using the FTIR and DSC and DTG systems, as well.
