ABSTRACT
SURFACE MODIFICATION OF POLYMERS USED IN THE LOW EARTH
ORBIT SPACE ENVIRONMENT
Jacob I. Kleiman
Integrity Testing Laboratory Inc.; University o f Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies 4925 Dufferin Street, North York, Ontario, Canada, M3H 5T6
A review o f current activities at Integrity Testing Laboratory Inc. (ITL) and University o f Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) in the field o f surface modification o f polymers is being presented. A number o f new surface modification technologies were developed recently at ITL and UTIAS for protection of polymer materials from the space environment. Using a new approach to silicon functionalization o f high-performance polymers, a new chemical surface modification process Photosil™ was developed that allows to incorporate high concentrations of silicon into surface regions o f polymer materials. In another process, named Implantox™, a modified ion implantation process was used that allowed to form oxide-based highly protective surface layers on high-performance polymers. A novel, proprietary surface modification process was also demonstrated recently for fluorine-containing polymers. A variety o f space bound polymer materials were treated by all three processes and all these demonstrated, through extensive testing, excellent resistance to fast atomic oxygen (FAO) erosion.
