Integration fabrication of polyimide composite films for aerospace applications

Abstract Polyimides externally deployed in spacecraft or satellites extensively have various aerospace hazards, including atomic oxygen (AO) erosion, irradiation degradation, and electrostatic charge/discharge (ESC/ESD). To cope with these challenges, we fabricate a ZnO/CuNi‐polyimide composite film with augmented permanence. Using spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, we have shown that the combination of chelation and cross‐linking in the interfacial architecture leads to enhanced interfacial compatibility and mechanical robustness. Besides, due to the positive AO diffusion barrier ability of the wurtzite ZnO, our composite film shows remarkable AO resistance and a very small E y value of 6.88 × 10 −26 cm 3 /atom, which is merely 2.29% of that of pristine polyimide. Moreover, the well‐defined nanocrystalline state with minimal lattice swelling (0.3%–0.7%) of the Fe + ‐irradiated ZnO/CuNi‐polyimide at a damaging dose of 353.4 dpa demonstrates its excellent irradiation resistance. Finally, the ZnO/CuNi‐polyimide also shows sufficient electrostatic dissipation capacity to cope with the ESC/ESD events. Our fabrication approach for composite films based on multi‐technology integration shows potential for aerospace applications and deployment.