Electrically conductive space-durable polymeric films for spacecraft thermal and charge control

There is a significant requirement for an electrically conductive thermal c ontrol film for the dissipation of spacecraft charging. The present state-o f-the-art technology for charge control is based upon thin vapour-deposited indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive coatings on Teflon or Kapton films. Thes e ITO coated films suffer from a range of problems, including no bulk condu ctivity, poor space durability and a propensity of the coating to crack. A new blended polymer film developed at Triton Systems combines the propertie s of an intrinsically electrically conductive polymer with that of a space- durable polymer. The resulting film, called C-COR for conductive colourless oxygen resistant, has bulk electrical resistance adjustable between 10(12) and 10(8) (Ohm cm), atomic oxygen (AO) resistance, low absorptance, high e mittance, vacuum stability, and good mechanical and UV resistant properties . The C-COR polymer is produced as a free-standing him. Data are presented on the space durability, optical, mechanical and electrical properties of t he C-COR film.