POSS-enhanced colorless organic/inorganic nanocomposite (CORIN®) for atomic oxygen resistance in low earth orbit

Abstract

Copolymers and blends of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and polyimides have been shown to resist atomic-oxygen (AO) attack, making them promising candidates as space-durable materials in the harsh oxidizing environment of low Earth orbit (LEO). CORIN® is a commercially available and colorless POSS–polyimide which has the desirable but uncommon property among polyimides that it may be dissolved in a solvent and applied at room temperature, thus making it possible to have a widely applicable clear coating for protection from AO in LEO. The physical properties of CORIN® have been largely characterized, but its AO resistance has received limited study. We have thus used a hyperthermal AO beam to expose CORIN® and other POSS-containing polyimides, 7.3 wt% and 9.1 wt% Si7O9 trisilanolphenyl POSS blended with poly(pyromellitic dianhydride-co-4,4′-oxydianiline), to characterize their resistance to AO attack. CORIN® was found to have a particularly low erosion yield that is ≲1% that of the ubiquitous satellite material, Kapton, which agrees favorably with a result from an experiment on the International Space Station. The other POSS-containing polymers exhibited somewhat higher erosion yields of 1.4 and 2.2% that of Kapton, respectively. Surface characterization of CORIN® showed that it remained relatively smooth during AO exposure and implied that a passivating silicon oxide was formed. The comparison of the AO effects on CORIN® and the other POSS–polyimides suggests that the net effect of AO on such POSS–polyimides depends on the density of Si atoms as well as the reactivity of the organic component of the polymer. This work adds to our confidence in the use of POSS-containing polymers in LEO and, especially, in very LEO, where the necessity of protecting satellite materials and components from AO attack is critical.