Effects of Electron Irradiation and Temperature on Mechanical Properties of Polyimide Film

Polyimide (PI) is widely deployed in space missions due to its good radiation resistance and durability. The influences from radiation and harsh temperatures should be carefully evaluated during the long-term service life. In the current work, the coupled thermal and radiation effects on the mechanical properties of PI samples were quantitatively investigated via experiments. At first, various PI specimens were prepared, and electron irradiation tests were conducted with different fluences. Then, both uniaxial tensile tests at room temperature and the dynamic mechanical analysis at varied temperatures of PI specimens with and without electron irradiation were performed. After that, uniaxial tensile tests at low and high temperatures were performed. The fracture surface of the PI film was observed using a scanning electron microscope, and its surface topography was measured using atomic force microscopy. In the meantime, the Fourier-transform infrared spectrum tests were conducted to check for chemical changes. In conclusion, the tensile tests showed that electron irradiation has a negligible effect during the linear stretching period but significantly impacts the hardening stage and elongation at break. Moreover, electron irradiation slightly influences the thermal properties of PI according to the differential scanning calorimetry results. However, both high and low temperatures dramatically affect the elastic modulus and elongation at break of PI.