Polymers
used for the exteriors of spacecraft are always exposed
to risks such as atomic oxygen (AO) or electrostatic discharge (ESD)
degradation. In this work, an Al
x
Ti
y
O/NiCr coating with excellent mechanical stability,
AO durability, and electrostatic dissipative properties was deposited
via ion implantation (IIP), filter cathode vacuum arc (FCVA), and
high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) on a flexible Kapton
substrate. Scratch and cycle folding tests indicated good adhesion
and toughness of the Al
x
Ti
y
O/NiCr-coated Kapton, which were due to the gradient
structure fabricated by the multitechnology combination. AO exposure
tests demonstrated an extremely low erosion yield (E
y = 5.15 × 10–26 cm3 atom–1) of the Al
x
Ti
y
O/NiCr-coated Kapton, only 1.72% of
that observed for pristine Kapton. Moreover, Rutherford backscattering
spectrometry (RBS) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) results
showed that the Al
x
Ti
y
O/NiCr-coated Kapton has elevated surface electrostatic
dissipative properties and sufficient conductivity. The multitechnology
combination offers great flexibility for customizing the gradient
structure to realize a comprehensive performance improvement. In addition,
such a coating has great prospects for aerospace applications.
The
polymers that served for solar cell arrays are constantly subject
to various hazards, such as atomic oxygen (AO), ion irradiation, or
electrostatic discharge (ESD) events. To address these issues, we
fabricated and sifted CrO0.16/CuNi-coated Kapton with a
gradient structure with the goal of reaching an equilibrium between
AO durability and resistance. The resulting material exhibits an impressively
low E
y of 6.61 × 10–26 cm3 atom–1, 2.20% of which was detected
as pristine Kapton. Self-evolution of the CrO0.16 coating
under 525.4 displacement per atom (dpa) Fe+ ion irradiation
indicated that it can still maintain a good state of ultrafine nanocrystalline
in addition to local amorphization. Its AO-based degradation and irradiation
evolution are demonstrated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.
It is mechanically robust enough to endure the cyclic folding treatments
attributed to its gradient structure fabrication. Moreover, the CrO0.16/CuNi-coated Kapton exhibits alleviated electrostatic accumulation
capability and sufficient conductivity. Our strategy has promising
potential for creating surface protection on flexible polymers operating
in the low Earth orbit (LEO).
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