Preparation and anti atomic oxygen erosion properties of OPPOSS/PI composites

Atomic oxygen (AO) found in low earth orbit can cause serious erosion to polyimide (PI) materials, which greatly limits their lifetime. 8-phenyl silsesquioxane (OPPOSS) was synthesized, and OPPOSS/PI composites were prepared by physical blending, followed by thermal imidization to enhance the AO erosion resistance of PI materials. The morphology, composition, and structure of the composites were analyzed before and after AO exposure in a ground simulated facility of atomic oxygen. After 16 h AO exposure, the OPPOSS/PI composite with 5wt% OPPOSS addition shows an erosion rate of about 1.4×10⁻²⁴ cm³/atom with only 48% mass loss of that of PI without OPPOSS addition. The mixture of OPPOSS nano molecules is assembled into a kind of regular square structure and distributed evenly in OPPOSS/PI composites. Some SiO₂ particles are formed in the composites during AO exposure, which can act as “inert points” to reduce the AO erosion rate of OPPOSS/PI composites.