The effects of low earth orbit atomic oxygen on the properties of Polytetrafluoroethylene

Polymers are widely used in space systems as the structural materials. The low earth orbit (LEO) space environment includes hazards such as atomic oxygen. Exposure of polymeric materials to atomic oxygen results in destructive effects on the chemical, electrical, thermal, optical and mechanical properties as well as surface degradation. In the present work, the effects of atomic oxygen on the mechanical, thermal, and optical properties of Polytetrafluoroethylene film have been investigated. The atomic oxygen density was calculated by SPENVIS tool. After the atomic oxygen exposure by using radio-frequency (RF) plasma source, the appearance of the samples changed, and the mass of the samples reduced because of outgassing. The results of thermal analysis showed that atomic oxygen flux does not affect thermal degradation of samples regarding TGA diagrams. By increasing the atomic oxygen flux, the amount of absorbance increased showing that atomic oxygen had damaged the surface of Polytetrafluoroethylene, and it had oxidized the surface of the polymer.