Electrically Conductive Space-Durable Polymeric Films for Spacecraft Thermal and Charge Control

Abstract

There is a significant requirement for an electrically conductive thermal control film for the dissipation of spacecraft charging. The present state-of-the-art technology for charge control is based upon thin vapour-deposited indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive coatings on Teflon or Kapton films. These ITO coated films suffer from a range of problems, including no bulk conductivity, poor space durability and a propensity of the coating to crack. A new blended polymer film developed at Triton Systems combines the properties of an intrinsically electrically conductive polymer with that of a space-durable polymer. The resulting film, called C-COR for conductive colourless oxygen resistant, has bulk electrical resistance adjustable between 10¹² and 10⁸ (Ω cm), atomic oxygen (AO) resistance, low absorptance, high emittance, vacuum stability, and good mechanical and UV resistant properties. The C-COR polymer is produced as a free-standing film. Data are presented on the space durability, optical, mechanical and electrical properties of the C-COR film.

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