ELECTRON-EMISSION DURING DEFORMATION OF POLYMERS

Electron emission was detected during deformation of both carbochain and heterochain polymers in vacuum. It was found that the features of emission are similar to those observed in molecular scissions under drawing of unoriented and oriented polymers. This fact indicates that there is a relationship between the fracture process and electron emission under deformation of polymers. This relationship is also obvious from the experiments with interruption of loading when electron emission during the repeated loading does not begin immediately at the moment of load application, but can be recorded only at the degree of deformation which is higher than that reached during the first loading. The interconnection between deformational electron emission and molecular scissions allowed visualization of the fracture process in the subsurface layers of polymers using an electron-optical convertor which gives a mechanoemission image of a stretched sample. It is supposed that the deformation-induced electron emission of polymers is caused by ionization of stressed macromolecules resulting from tunnel transitions of electrons into deep traps. During deformation, the traps are destroyed and a part of electrons escapes in vacuum.