Nonlinear Phenomena in the Mass Loss of Polyimide Films under Hyperthermal Atomic Oxygen Beam Exposure

Abstract

Erosion phenomenon of polyimide film under the hyperthermal atomic oxygen beam exposure, which is a simulated low Earth orbit space environment, has been investigated. The polyimide film was spin-coated on a sensor crystal of a quartz crystal microbalance, and the mass of the film was measured under the atomic oxygen beam exposure. The spin-coated polyimide film which was exposed to a 4.7 eV atomic oxygen beam showed a mass gain at the beginning of the reaction and then steady-state mass loss followed. The experimental results of the mass change was analysed by the computational model, and the results showed that the carbon abstraction rate at the oxygen-adsorbed sites was two orders higher than that at the unoxidized polyimide surface. The computational results suggested that a large fraction of the carbon abstraction reaction occurred in the oxygen-adsorbed site through a Langmuir–Hinshelwood reaction mechanism.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

[1] Minton T K 1995 JPL Publication 95-17

Pasadena, CA

[2] Kinoshita H , Tagawa M , Umeno M and Ohmae N 1998 Trans. Japan Soc. Aeronautics Space Sci. 41 94-94

[3] Tagawa M , Suetomi T , Kinoshita H , Umeno M and Ohmae N 1999 Trans. Japan Soc. Aeronautics Space Sci. 42 40-40

[4] Garton D J , Minton T K , Alagia M , Balucani N , Casavecchia P and Volpi G G 1997 AIAA Paper 97-3947

[5] Kinoshita H , Tagawa M , Umeno M and Ohmae N 1999 Surf. Sci. 440 49-49

[6] Caledonia G E , Krech R H and Green B D 1987 AIAA J. 25 59-59

[7] Oakes D B , Krech R H , Upschulte B L and Caledonia G E 1995 J. Appl. Phys. 77 2166-2166

[8] Visentine J T , Leger L J , Kuminecz J F and Spiker I K 1985 AIAA Paper 85-0415

[9] Banks B A , Gebauer L and Hill C M 1991 LDEF—69 months in space Proc. 1st Post-Retrieval Symp. (Kissimmee, FL) p 801-801

10.

[10] Kinoshita H , Yokota K , Tagawa M and Ohmae N 2000 Proc. 8th Int. Symp. on Materials in a Space Environment (Arcachon, France) p 581-581

11.

[11] Brinza D E , Chung S Y , Minton T K and Liang R H 1994 JPL Publication 94-31

12.

[12] Minton T K and Moore T A 1993 LDEF—69 months in space Proc. 3rd Post-Retrieval Symp. (Williamsburg, VA) p 1095-1095

13.

[13] Minton T K , Seale J W , Garton D J and Frandsen A K 1998 Proc. Protection of Materials and Structures from the LEO Space Environment (Toronto, Canada) paper A2

14.

[14] Gregory J C and Peters P N 1988 NASA-Technical Memorandum 100459, vol 2, p 4.1-4.1

15.

[15] Minton T K and Garton D J 2000 Chemical Dynamics in Extreme Environments (Singapore: World Scientific)