Long-term, light-induced changes in dark conductivity of Kapton

Abstract

The light-induced increase in dark conductivity of Kapton in space and simulated space environments has been investigated. It was found that a long-term increase in conductivity is caused by an accumulation of electrically active centers generated by solar radiation in the bulk of the material if maintained in vacuum. An analysis of the increase in conductivity as a function of light exposure time indicates that the dark conductivity of Kapton can be raised to a level at which the film can become sufficiently conductive to be antistatic simply by exposing it to solar radiation in orbit.