Abstract
A quantitative analysis in erosion properties of polyimide and fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) under simulated low earth orbit space environment of atomic oxygen and ultraviolet was performed. An atomic oxygen environment was simulated by a laser detonation atomic oxygen beam source, whereas that of ultraviolet was made by a 172 nm-eximer light. Increase in erosion rate up to 400 % was observed on polyimide when relative ultraviolet intensity is high. In contrast, no synergistic effect was observed on FEP in tested conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that atomic oxygen did not accommodate on FEP surfaces even after atomic oxygen exposures, in contrast, increase in surface oxygen concentration was detected at the polyimide surfaces. These experimental results suggest that ultraviolet-induced desorption of reactive products, which was an origin of synergistic effect on polyimide, does not occur at the FEP surface.
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