Effect of Electron Bombardment on Polyimide Film

Interaction of high energy electrons with spacecraft materials, such as polyimide (PI, Kapton-H®), is known to cause their physical degradation. However, understanding of the chemical nature of this damage and the effect on the electrical and optical properties of PI is still limited. This lack of understanding limits predictive spacecraft models (charging, thermal, etc) as only pristine material properties are used for calculation. This is a major source of error in spacecraft construction and anomaly resolution, since PI properties change after exposure to the space environment. In the presented study, we analyze the chemical, electrical, and optical changes to polyimide after exposure to 90 keV electrons.