How dielectric materials collect and store electrical charge is critical to spacecraft construction and operational anomaly resolution. Electrical conduction, and thus spacecraft potential, is known to change as materials are damaged by the space environment. However, the exact extent and nature of the aging is unknown and this dynamic aging is a major impediment to the modeling of a spacecraft’s behavior over its mission life. Here, an investigation is presented of the alteration of electrical conduction and chemistry composition of polyimide films after controlled radiation damage caused by exposure to 90 keV electrons. The conductivity of polyimide is found to increase dramatically (several orders of magnitude) with increased electron exposure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests emission of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from the polymer at a low electron dose and loss of unsaturated hydrocarbons as the dose increases. No correlation is found between the composition of the surface and the electrical conductivity, indicating that many different damage states are playing a role in the increased conductivity.
Effects of Radiation Damage on Polyimide Resistivity
Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets ; 54 , 2 ; 343-348
2016-09-14
6 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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