A new chemical etchant for the development of alpha tracks in CR-39 solid state nuclear track detector

Chemical etching is an important step for enlargement of latent tracks in solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD). In the etching process, bulk and track etch rates are determined by various parameters, which decide the sensitivity and efficiency of the track detector. Thus, determination of the etching parameters is essential in introducing a new chemical etchant. For the enlargement of latent tracks in CR-39, chemical etching is usually carried out at temperatures of 60-70 degrees C by using 6-6.5 N concentrations of alkali like NaOH or KOH. In the present work, a mixture of 8 g NaOH in 25 mL water and 25 mL ethanolamine as an etchant at 70 degrees C was found to be very effective in the enlargement of alpha tracks in CR-39 SSNTD. The diameters of alpha tracks resulting from this new etchant are found to be a quadratic function of the etching time, whereas those from the standard etchant are linear with respect to the etching time. This results in the reduction in the etching time by a factor of 4 with an increased etching efficiency.