Abstract
The atomic oxygen (AO) in the low Earth orbit (LEO) severely damages the traditional polymer materials used for surface protective coatings in spacecraft. To solve this problem, organic-inorganic composite coatings with excellent AO resistance were prepared by covalently grafting octa- and mono-amino polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OMPOSS) onto the polyamide-imide (PAI) matrix in this paper. The pristine PAI/PTFE and OMPOSS/PAI/PTFE composite coatings before and after AO exposure were detail investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Compared with the pristine PAI/PTFE coating, the mass loss of OMPOSS/PAI/PTFE coating reduced by about 80% significantly. The findings indicate that AO attack can lead to the oxidation of the OMPOSS on the surface of the composite coatings, furthermore generate a SiO2 passivating layer. The formation of the passivating layer can effectively prevent further erosion and degradation of the underlying composites. In addition, the wear tests prove that the octa- and mono-amino POSS impart the PAI/PTFE coating with outstanding tribological properties under AO irradiation. Therefore, such OMPOSS-containing PAI/PTFE composite coatings have great potential for the application in the space environment.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
