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Semiempirical correlations have been developed between solubility parameters and refractive indices for series of model hydrocarbon compounds and organic polymers. Measurement of intermolecular forces is useful for assessment of material compatibility, glass-transition temperature, and transport properties.
A procedure is developed for long distance recording of humidity over the sea that uses humidity detectors of the sorption type, whose electrical properties depend on the relative humidity of the air. The moisture sensitive material of the hygristor is the organic polymer polyacrylonitryl, deposited on silver electrodes and thermally treated. In the measurements of the relative humidity from 60% to 95%, the resistance of the hygristor varies from several hundred kiloohms to a few kiloohms, and is an essentially nonlinear function of the humidity.
Principles governing the photovoltaic effect in organic materials on the molecular level are studied and applied to the design and fabrication of laboratory devices having a photovoltaic organic polymer film as their key element. Progress to date has been in three areas: (1) materials synthesis; (2) apparatus development; and (3) ultra-thin film fabrication.
The results of three experimental studies related to the inorganic/organic battery separator operating mechanism are described: saponification of the plasticizer, resistivity of the simulated separators, and zincate diffusion through the separators. The inorganic/organic separator appears to be a particular example of a general class of ionic conducting films composed of inorganic fillers and/or substrates bonded together by an organic polymer containing an incompatible plasticizer that may be leached by the electrolyte. The I/O separator functions as a microporous film of varying tortuosity with essentially no specific chemical inhibition to zincate diffusion.
Tough, durable coatings of boron triflouride can be deposited on plastic optical components to protect them from destructive effects of abrasion, scratching, and environment. Coating material can be applied simultaneously with organic polymers, using plasma glow-discharge methods, or it can be used as base material for other coatings to increase adhesion.
Recent advances in the tribological uses of rf-sputtered and ion plated films of solid film lubricants (laminar solids, soft metals, organic polymers) and wear resistant refractory compounds (carbides, nitrides, silicides) are reviewed. The sputtering and ion plating potentials and the corresponding coatings formed were evaluated relative to the friction coefficient, wear endurance life and mechanical properties. The tribological and mechanical properties for each kind of film are discussed in terms of film adherence, coherence, density, grain size, morphology, internal stresses, thickness, and substrate conditions such as temperature, topography, chemistry and dc-biasing. The ion plated metallic films in addition to improved tribological properties also have better mechanical properties such as tensile strength and fatigue life.
Plastic surfaces can be improved physically and optically by treating them with a plasma of boron trifluoride. The trifluoride can be the sole reactant or be part of a mixture also containing an organic monomeric substance such as perfluorobutene-2 or an organosilane. The boron trifluoride-containing coating can also serve as an intermediate coating between the plastic surface and a plasma deposited organic polymer.
Report reviews advances in tribological uses of RF-sputtered and ion-plated films of solid film lubricants (laminar solids, soft metals, organic polymers) and wear-resistant refractory compounds.
The processes and techniques used to fabricate plate-fin sandwich actively cooled panels are presented. The materials were 6061 aluminum alloy and brazing sheet having clad brazing alloy. The panels consisted of small scale specimens, fatigue specimens, and a large 0.61 m by 1.22 m test panel. All panels were fluxless brazed in retorts in heated platen presses while exerting external pressure to assure intimate contact of details. Distortion and damage normally associated with that heat treatment were minimized by heat treating without fixtures and solution quenching in an organic polymer solution. The test panel is the largest fluxless brazed and heat treated panel of its configuration known to exist.
In this paper we review the recent advances in the tribological uses of R.F.-sputtered and ion-plated films of solid film lubricants (laminar solids, soft metals, organic polymers) and wear-resistant refractory compounds (carbides, nitrides, silicides). The sputtering and ion-plating potentials and the corresponding coatings formed are evaluated relative to the friction coefficient, wear endurance life and mechanical properties. The tribological and mechanical properties of each kind of film are discussed in terms of film adherence, coherence, density, grain size, morphology, internal stresses and thickness and substrate conditions such as temperature, topography, chemistry and d.c. biasing. The ion-plated metallic films in addition to improved tribological properties also have better mechanical properties such as tensile strength and fatigue life.
The Viking molecular analysis experiment has demonstrated the absence (within the detection limits which range from levels of parts per million to below parts per billion) of organic substances in the Martian surface soil at the two Viking landing sites. Laboratory experiments with sterile and nonsterile antarctic samples further demonstrate the capability and reliability of the instrument. The circumstances under which organic components could have escaped detection, such as inaccessibility or extreme thermal stability of organic polymers, are discussed but are found to be unlikely. The inability of the instrument to detect free oxygen evolved from soil samples is pointed out.
Practical applications are illustrated with discussions covering the reasons for use of solid lubricants, required performance, lubricant selection, and results obtained for the various examples shown. The applications described cover a broad range of solid lubricants. Included are soft lamellar compounds, organic polymers, soft elemental metals, oxides and compounds for high temperature use. The illustrations selected cover a broad range of lubricant application techniques delineating the reasons for the different processing procedures which include bonded films, plasma spraying, sputtering, ion plating and electrodeposition.
The volume examines the scientific interfaces and technological applications of physics. Twelve areas are dealt with: biological physics-biophysics, the brain, and theoretical biology; the physics-chemistry interface-instrumentation, surfaces, neutron and synchrotron radiation, polymers, organic electronic materials; materials science; geophysics-tectonics, the atmosphere and oceans, planets, drilling and seismic exploration, and remote sensing; computational physics-complex systems and applications in basic research; mathematics-field theory and chaos; microelectronics-integrated circuits, miniaturization, future trends; optical information technologies-fiber optics and photonics; instrumentation; physics applications to energy needs and the environment; national security-devices, weapons, and arms control; medical physics-radiology, ultrasonics, MNR, and photonics. An executive summary and many chapters contain recommendations regarding funding, education, industry participation, small-group university research and large facility programs, government agency programs, and computer database needs.
Cometary silicates, carbon, and volatiles are reviewed using data from the Halley probes, interplanetary dust particles, and cometary spectra. The origins of anhydrous Fe(2+)-bearing silicates; whether hydrated silicates, if present, were made by gaseous or liquid H2O3; sources of organic compounds: ion-molecule reactions, photochemistry, grain catalysis; sources of CO2 and of organic polymers; and interstellar molecules and grains in comets are discussed.
Materials with potential applications in reflective and refractive solar dynamic concentrators are tested for resistance to atomic oxygen degradation. It is found that inorganic coatings such as MgF2, SiO(x), and ITO provide excellent protection for reflective surfaces while organic materials are much more susceptible to erosion and mass loss. Of the organic polymers tested, the silicones have the highest intrinsic resistance to atomic oxygen degradation.
The sliding friction behavior of single filaments of SiO2, SiC, and an aluminoborosilicate has been determined. These fibers are used in thermal protection systems (TPS) and are subject to damage during weaving and aero-maneuvering. All fibers exhibited stick-slip friction indicating the successive formation and rupture of strong junctions between the contacting filaments. The static frictional resistance of the sized SiC filament was 4X greater than for the same filament after heat cleaning. This result suggests that the sizing is an organic polymer with a high shear yield strength. Heat cleaning exposes the SiC surface and/or leaves an inorganic residue so that the adhesional contact between filaments has a low fracture energy and frictional sliding occurs by brittle fracture. The frictional resistances of the sized and heat cleaned SiO2 and glass filaments were all comparable to that of the heat cleaned SiC. It would appear that the sizings as well as the heat cleaned surfaces of the silica and glass have low fracture energies so that the sliding resistance is determined by brittle fracture.
Polymeric materials that may be exposed on spacecraft to the hostile environment beyond Earth's atmosphere were subjected to atomic oxygen, electron bombardment, and ultraviolet radiation in terrestrial experiments. Evidence is presented for the utility of an inexpensive asher for determining the relative susceptibility of organic polymers to atomic oxygen. Kapton, Ultem, P1700 polysulfone, and m-CBB/BIS-A (a specially formulated polymer prepared at NASA Langley) all eroded at high rates, just as was observed in shuttle experiments. Films of Ultem, P1700 polysulfone, and m-CBB/BIS-A were irradiated with 85 keV electrons. The UV/VIS absorbance of Ultem was found to decay with time after irradiation, indicating free radical decay. The tensile properties of Ultem began to change only after it had been exposed to 100 Mrads. The effects of dose rate, temperature, and simultaneous vs. sequential electron and UV irradiation were also studied.
The vulnerability of spacecraft materials and components to trapped radiation in aerospace environment is considered along with which orbits the radiation effects are most likely to occur. It seems that the effects on organic polymers are embrittlement, change of modulus and coefficient of expansion; on optics the effects are discoloration and distortion. The effects on integrated circuits are also listed.