The effect of low earth orbit atomic oxygen exposure on phenylphosphine oxide-containing poly(arylene ether)s
✍ Scribed by John W. Connell; Joseph G. Smith; Jr; Carol G. Kalil; Emilie J. Siochi
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 390 KB
- Volume
- 9
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1042-7147
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Unoriented thin films of phenylphosphine oxide-containing poly(arylene ether)s were exposed to low Earth orbit aboard the space shuttle Atlantis (STS-51) as part of a flight experiment designated Limited Duration Candidate Exposure . The samples were exposed to primarily atomic oxygen ( ϳ 7ϫ 10 19 atoms/cm 2 ). Based on post-flight analyses using atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatogrpahy and weight loss data, it was proposed that atomic oxygen exposure of these materials produces a phosphate layer at the surface of the samples, apparently by the reaction of atomic oxygen with the phosphorus in the polymer backbone. Ground-based oxygen plasma exposure experiments have previously shown that this phosphate layer provides a barrier against further attack by atomic oxygen [1]. The results obtained from these analyses compare favorably with those obtained from samples exposed to an oxygen plasma in ground-based exposure experiments [1].