Characterization of selected LDEF-exposed polymeric filmsThe characterization of selected experimental and commercially available thin polymeric films which received 10 months of exposure to the LEO environment on the Long Duration Exposure Facility is reported. The visual appearance of most specimens changed due to exposure. However, except for a silicon-containing copolymer film, chemical characterization including infrared, thermal, and X-ray photoelectron analyses showed that the molecular structure of the surviving material had not changed significantly in response to exposure. Surface texturing due to atomic oxygen erosion was documented using various microscopic analyses. The possibility of continued post-exposure degradation of some polymeric materials is proposed.
Document ID
19930031738
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Young, Philip R. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Slemp, Wayne S. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Gautreaux, Carol R. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: In: International SAMPE Symposium and Exhibition, 37th, Anaheim, CA, Mar. 9-12, 1992, Proceedings (A93-15726 04-23)
Publisher: Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering