Decomposition of Organic Resins at High Temperature in a Vacuum Environment.

摘要

There are a great number of uses for organic materials in todays satellites and missiles, and indications are that increased emphasis will be placed upon this class of materials in the space stations and advanced design probes of tomorrow. We believe this statement to be especially true regarding organic coatings and their role in learning more about the universe. Where organic coatings were once, not too long ago, used solely for corrosion protection and decoration they now appear extremely attractive for their versatile optical properties, combined with ease of application and tailoring the optical properties. Where organic coatings were once subject to atmospheric weathering and chemical corrosion they must now be compounded to withstand variable temperatures, combined with high vacuum, and in many cases, intense ultraviolet light. Accordingly, as the environmental use of these materials change, so must the way in which we study them. Many of the papers being presented at this meeting are indicative of the changed direction of this research area. The Coatings Section of the Nonmetallic Materials Laboratory, WADD, has undertaken a rather comprehensive study of the organic resins which are used in formulating the finished coating systems to be further tailored or blended to accomplish a particular mission. It is anticipated that organic coating resins cured into thin films will be used as the basis for temperature control coatings, binders for dry film lubricant systems,(i) substrates for vapor deposited reflective metals, and a host of other uses at various temperature levels Neglecting for the moment nuclear and ultraviolet radiation effects, this study has as its primary subject the degrading affect that vacuum and temperature above the ambient has on these unmodified resins.