Publications

Polypropylene samples, in which the three different carbon atoms along the chain were selectively labeled with carbon-13, were subjected to radiation under inert and air atmospheres, and to post-irradiation exposure in air at various temperatures. By using solid-state 13C NMR measurements at room temperature, we have been able to identify and quantify the oxidation products. The isotopic labeling provides insight into chemical reaction mechanisms, since oxidation products can be traced back to their positions of origin on the macromolecule. The major products include peroxides and alcohols, both formed at tertiary carbon sites along the chain. Other products include methyl ketones, acids, esters, peresters, and hemiketals formed from reaction at the tertiary carbon, together with in-chain ketones and esters from reaction at the secondary chain carbon. No evidence is found of products arising from reactions at the methyl side chain. Significant temperature-dependent differences are apparent; for example much higher yields of chain-end methyl ketones, which are the indicator product of chain scission, are generated for both elevated temperature irradiation and for post-irradiation treatment at elevated temperatures. Time-dependent plots of yields of the various oxidation products have been obtained under a wide range of conditions, including the post-irradiation oxidation of a sample at room temperature in air that has been monitored for 2 years. Radiation-oxidation products of polypropylene are contrasted to products measured for 13C-labeled polyethylene in an earlier investigation: the peroxides formed in irradiated polypropylene are remarkably longer lived, the non-peroxidic products are significantly different, and the overall ratios of oxidation products in polypropylene change relatively little as a function of the extent of oxidation. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Piezoelectric polymers based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) are of interest for large aperture space-based telescopes as adaptive or smart materials. Dimensional adjustments of adaptive polymer films depend on controlled charge deposition. Predicting their long-term performance requires a detailed understanding of the piezoelectric material features, expected to suffer due to space environmental degradation. Hence, the degradation and performance of PVDF and its copolymers under various stress environments expected in low Earth orbit has been reviewed and investigated. Various experiments were conducted to expose these polymers to elevated temperature, vacuum UV, {gamma}-radiation and atomic oxygen. The resulting degradative processes were evaluated. The overall materials performance is governed by a combination of chemical and physical degradation processes. Molecular changes are primarily induced via radiative damage, and physical damage from temperature and atomic oxygen exposure is evident as depoling, loss of orientation and surface erosion. The effects of combined vacuum UV radiation and atomic oxygen resulted in expected surface erosion and pitting rates that determine the lifetime of thin films. Interestingly, the piezo responsiveness in the underlying bulk material remained largely unchanged. This study has delivered a comprehensive framework for material properties and degradation sensitivities with variations in individual polymer performances clearly apparent. The results provide guidance for material selection, qualification, optimization strategies, feedback for manufacturing and processing, or alternative materials. Further material qualification should be conducted via experiments under actual space conditions.

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Unstabilized polypropylene (PP) films having selective 13C isotopic labeling were subjected to thermal aging at 50, 80, and 109 °C and to γ-irradiation at 24 and 80°C. The oxidized films were examined using solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Dramatic differences were found in the type and distribution of oxidation products originating from the three carbon atom sites within the PP macromolecule (tertiary carbon, secondary carbon, and methyl side group). Most of the oxidation products that formed on the polymer chain originated through chemical reactions at the PP tertiary carbons. Under all of the aging conditions examined, tertiary peroxides (from the PP tertiary site) were the most abundant functional group produced. Also originating from the PP tertiary carbon were significant amounts of tertiary alcohols, together with several more minor products that included "chain-end" methyl ketones. No significant amount of peroxides or alcohols associated with the PP secondary carbon sites was detected. A substantial yield of carboxylate groups was identified (acids, esters, etc.). The majority of these originated from the PP secondary carbon site, from which other minor products also formed, including in-chain ketones. We found no measurable yield of oxidation products originating from reaction at the PP methyl group. Remarkably similar distributions of the major oxidation products were obtained for thermal aging at different temperatures, whereas the product distributions obtained for irradiation at the different temperatures exhibited significant differences. Time-dependent concentration plots have been obtained, which show the amounts of the various oxidation products originating at the different PP sites, as a function of the extent of material oxidation. © 2005 American Chemical Society.

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Solid-state {sup 1}H NMR relaxometry studies were conducted on a hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) based polyurethane elastomer thermo-oxidatively aged at 80 C. The {sup 1}H T{sub 1}, T{sub 2}, and T{sub 1{rho}} relaxation times of samples thermally aged for various periods of time were determined as a function of NMR measurement temperature. The response of each measurement was calculated from a best-fit linear function of the relaxation time vs. aging time. It was found that the T{sub 2,H} and T{sub 1{rho},H} relaxation times exhibited the largest response to thermal degradation, whereas T{sub 1,H} showed minimal change. All of the NMR relaxation measurements on solid samples showed significantly less sensitivity to thermal aging than the T{sub 2,H} relaxation times of solvent-swollen samples.

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