Roll-to-roll fabrication of large-scale polyorgansiloxane thin film with high flexibility and ultra-efficient atomic oxygen resistance

Abstract

One of the most widely utilized and well-established atomic oxygen (AO) protection solutions for LEO satellites is the deposition of protective coatings on polymeric materials. However, manufacturing extensive expanses of coating materials with good transparency, flexibility, smoothness, ultra-thinness, and exceptional AO resistance remains a critical issue. Herein, we successfully deposited a 400 nm thick polyorgansiloxane (SiOxCyHz) coating with high optical transparency and uniform good adherence on a 1.2 m wide polyimide surface by optimizing the distribution of hexamethyldisiloxane and oxygen as precursors in the roll-to-roll compatible plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process. After AO irradiation with the fluence of 7.9 × 1020 atoms cm–2, the erosion yield of the SiOxCyHz -coated Kapton was less than 2.30 × 10–26 cm3 atom–1, which was less than 0.77% of that of the Kapton. It indicates that the SiOxCyHz coating can well prevent the erosion of Kapton by AO. In addition, it was also clarified that a SiO2 passivation layer was formed on the surface of the SiOxCyHz coating during AO irradiation, which exhibited a “self-reinforcing” defense mechanism. The entire preparation process of the SiOxCyHz coating was highly efficient and low-cost, and it has shown great application potential in LEO.

Large-Scale Plasma-Polymerized Hexamethyldisiloxane Thin Films: Role of Interelectrode Distance and Excellent Corrosion Resistance

“…Finally, the gas mixture in the vacuum chamber was ionized and deposited on the substrates. The area of the electrode was 1.4 m × 0.6 m. 13 The interelectrode distance was set to 30 mm, 40 mm, and 50 mm, respectively. The working pressure of the vacuum chamber and discharge power were set as 10 Pa and 400 W, respectively.…”

“…Finally, the gas mixture in the vacuum chamber was ionized and deposited on the substrates. The area of the electrode was 1.4 m × 0.6 m . The interelectrode distance was set to 30 mm, 40 mm, and 50 mm, respectively.…”

“…In addition to being the primary process for producing charge carriers in plasma, electron-impact-induced ionization is also the key process that initiates the vast majority of plasma chemical reactions by forming reactive neutrals and ionic radicals through dissociative ionization. 13,15,26 , SiOH + , CH 3 + , and so on. 22 These fragments combine to form a ppHMDSO thin film.…”

“…9−11 One of the most representative methods was plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), which made it possible to create homogeneous thin films with a higher density on a variety of substrates at a relatively low temperature. 13 In addition, the plasma-polymerized (pp) organosilicon films on metal substrates generally form an excellent hydrophobic barrier and have excellent mechanical properties and scratch resistance. By optimizing the deposition parameters of the PECVD process, including monomers, deposition power, pressure, and interelectrode distance, the performance of the pp coatings can be modified.…”

“…Currently, different surface modification approaches have been reported to decrease the release of metallic ions, such as nitrogen implantation, laser surface modification, and plasma polymerization. − Among them, the deposition of organosilicon coatings on the surface of metal implants by plasma polymerization technology is a promising surface modification method for metal biomaterials. − One of the most representative methods was plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), which made it possible to create homogeneous thin films with a higher density on a variety of substrates at a relatively low temperature . In addition, the plasma-polymerized (pp) organosilicon films on metal substrates generally form an excellent hydrophobic barrier and have excellent mechanical properties and scratch resistance …”