Preparation and Characterization of Transparent Polyimide Nanocomposite Films with Potential Applications as Spacecraft Antenna Substrates with Low Dielectric Features and Good Sustainability in Atomic-Oxygen Environments
Yan Zhang,
Bo-han Wu,
Han-li Wang,
Hao Wu,
Yuan-cheng An,
Xin-xin Zhi,
Jin-gang Liu
Affiliations
Yan Zhang
Beijing Key Laboratory of Materials Utilization of Nonmetallic Minerals and Solid Wastes, National Laboratory of Mineral Materials, School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Bo-han Wu
Space Materials and Structure Protection Division, Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering, Beijing 100094, China
Han-li Wang
Shandong Huaxia Shenzhou New Material Co., Ltd., Zibo 256401, China
Hao Wu
Beijing Key Laboratory of Materials Utilization of Nonmetallic Minerals and Solid Wastes, National Laboratory of Mineral Materials, School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Yuan-cheng An
Beijing Key Laboratory of Materials Utilization of Nonmetallic Minerals and Solid Wastes, National Laboratory of Mineral Materials, School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Xin-xin Zhi
Beijing Key Laboratory of Materials Utilization of Nonmetallic Minerals and Solid Wastes, National Laboratory of Mineral Materials, School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Jin-gang Liu
Beijing Key Laboratory of Materials Utilization of Nonmetallic Minerals and Solid Wastes, National Laboratory of Mineral Materials, School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Optically transparent polyimide (PI) films with good dielectric properties and long-term sustainability in atomic-oxygen (AO) environments have been highly desired as antenna substrates in low earth orbit (LEO) aerospace applications. However, PI substrates with low dielectric constant (low-Dk), low dielectric dissipation factor (low-Df) and high AO resistance have rarely been reported due to the difficulties in achieving both high AO survivability and good dielectric parameters simultaneously. In the present work, an intrinsically low-Dk and low-Df optically transparent PI film matrix, poly[4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride-co-2,2-bis(4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl)hexafluoropropane] (6FPI) was combined with a nanocage trisilanolphenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (TSP-POSS) additive in order to afford novel organic–inorganic nanocomposite films with enhanced AO-resistant properties and reduced dielectric parameters. The derived 6FPI/POSS films exhibited the Dk and Df values as low as 2.52 and 0.006 at the frequency of 1 MHz, respectively. Meanwhile, the composite films showed good AO resistance with the erosion yield as low as 4.0 × 10−25 cm3/atom at the exposure flux of 4.02 × 1020 atom/cm2, which decreased by nearly one order of magnitude compared with the value of 3.0 × 10−24 cm3/atom of the standard PI-ref Kapton® film.
