Abstract
Radiation curable polymers are needed for use in space rigidizable inflatable structures (antenna supports, habitats, rovers) for future NASA missions. One approach developed at NASA Glenn utilizes the Diels-Alder trapping of bisdienes (o-xylylenols) generated by the photolysis of o-methylphenyl ketones with bisdienophiles (bismaleimides and bisacrylates). A variety of polyimides and polyesters have been prepared with this chemistry and their properties evaluated. The glass transition temperatures of these resins varied from –27 to over 300°C depending upon monomer structures. Onsets of decomposition, measured by thermogravimetric analysis in air, were in the neighborhood of 300°C and did not vary much with monomer structure. Some monomer systems are liquids at room temperature and have the potential for use in solvent-free UV-cured coatings.
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