Aspects of the radiation chemistry of some transparent polyimides

The sensitivities of a series of transparent polyimides to simulated space conditions for GEO and LEO have been assessed. The effects of UV, VUV, atomic and molecular oxygen, gamma and electron beam radiation on the polymers have been reviewed. The changes in the visible spectra, the radicals formed, the changes in the surfaces of polyimide films under vacuum and in the presence of oxygen and, in the case of high-energy irradiation, the structural changes in the polyimide have been considered