Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2010 Sep;2(9):2515-20. doi: 10.1021/am100217m.
Polymers in space may be subjected to a barrage of incident atoms, photons, and/or ions. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques can produce films that mitigate many of the current challenges for space polymers. We have studied the efficacy of various ALD coatings to protect Kapton polyimide, FEP Teflon, and poly(methyl methacrylate) films from atomic-oxygen and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) attack. Atomic-oxygen and VUV studies were conducted with the use of a laser-detonation source for hyperthermal O atoms and a D2 lamp as a source of VUV light. These studies used a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to monitor mass loss in situ, as well as surface profilometry and scanning electron microscopy to study the surface recession and morphology changes ex situ. Al2O3 ALD coatings protected the underlying substrates from atomic-oxygen attack, and the addition of TiO2 coatings protected the substrates from VUV-induced damage. The results indicate that ALD coatings can simultaneously protect polymers from oxygen-atom erosion and VUV radiation damage.
聚合物在太空中可能会受到大量入射原子、光子和/或离子的影响。原子层沉积（ALD）技术可以生产出薄膜，减轻当前太空聚合物面临的许多挑战。我们已经研究了各种 ALD 涂层在保护 Kapton 聚酰亚胺、FEP 聚四氟乙烯和聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯薄膜免受原子氧和真空紫外线（VUV）攻击方面的效果。使用激光爆炸源产生超热氧原子和 D2 灯作为 VUV 光源进行原子氧和 VUV 研究。这些研究使用石英晶体微天平（QCM）原位监测质量损失，以及表面轮廓仪和扫描电子显微镜在异位研究表面侵蚀和形貌变化。Al2O3 ALD 涂层可保护基底免受原子氧的侵蚀，而 TiO2 涂层的添加可保护基底免受 VUV 引起的损伤。结果表明，ALD 涂层可以同时保护聚合物免受氧原子侵蚀和 VUV 辐射损伤。
