Polymer Degradation and Stability最新文献

{"title":"Introducing a polysiloxane coating on flame retardant to realize durable UV resistance and flame retardancy of polypropylene","authors":"Xinqi Di ,&nbsp;Xinyu Chen ,&nbsp;Yujie Kang ,&nbsp;Jing Yang ,&nbsp;Yangming Zou ,&nbsp;Jiang Jing ,&nbsp;Jun Sun ,&nbsp;Hongfei Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Gu ,&nbsp;Sheng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111403","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111403","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The applications of polypropylene (PP) are severely limited by its flammability and poor resistance to UV aging. Melamine hydrogen bromide (MHB) and aluminum hypophosphite (AHP) are widely used as synergistic flame retardants. Hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS) are typically used as anti-UV agents for polyolefins. However, the direct combination of acidic MHB and basic HALS induces antagonistic interactions, leading to a deterioration in material performance. In this work, antagonism is mitigated by coating MHB with polysiloxane (Si-MHB). Moreover, the polysiloxane layer can improve the compatibility between the flame retardant and PP, thereby enhancing flame retardancy and mechanical properties. PP composites containing Si-MHB, AHP, and HALS derivative were prepared. After 60 h of UV exposure, the surface of PP/Si-MHB/AHP/HALS119 remained relatively smooth with some shallow cracks. The water contact angle was maintained at 92°, and the carbonyl index decreased to 10.45, pointing out that the degree of photodegradation was significantly lower than that observed in the control samples. Besides, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of PP/Si-MHB/AHP/HALS119 reached up to 26.5 %. After 60 h of UV irradiation, LOI decreased to 24.8 % and still maintained UL-94 V-0 rating, the tensile strength and impact strength decreased by 7 % and 10.2 %, which was a significantly lower reduction compared to the control samples. The above results demonstrate that the coating polysiloxane can effectively mitigate the antagonistic interactions between MHB and HALS119, effectively enhancing the UV aging resistance, flame retardancy, and mechanical properties of PP composites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":406,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Degradation and Stability","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 111403"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143923990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic engineering of phosphaphenanthrene and ionic liquids for unlocking flame retardant multifunctional epoxy resin with high performances","authors":"Hao Wang ,&nbsp;Yadong Wang ,&nbsp;Jingjing Gao ,&nbsp;Zongmin Zhu ,&nbsp;Fei Xiao","doi":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Herein, we presented a multifunctional epoxy resin (EP) composite prepared by the synergistic combination of DOPO and ionic liquids (ILs). The optimized EP-DOPO/ILs system demonstrated exceptional flame retardancy, with only 3 wt% of flame retardant (DOPO/ILs) added to achieve UL-94 V-0 grade for EP and a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 33.4 %. Cone calorimeter test revealed 32.2 % and 26.7 % reductions in peak of heat release rate (pHRR) and total smoke production (TSP), respectively, compared to neat EP. Notably, the designed rigid-flexible epoxy network simultaneously enhanced tensile strength to 75.7 MPa (+15.7 %) and impact strength to 24.8 kJ m^-2 (+136.3 %), outperforming conventional EP thermosets. Furthermore, the EP composites retained 90 % visible light transmittance while exhibiting ultraviolet (UV) shielding efficiency and intrinsic fluorescence. This multi-component collaborative system provides an important experimental foundation for developing high-performance multifunctional polymeric materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":406,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Degradation and Stability","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 111407"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143916919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation into the flame retardant composite of natural rubber modified by crystalline trans-1,4-poly(butadiene-co-isoprene) block copolymer (TBIR)","authors":"Jingjing Zhao,&nbsp;Wenhui Wang,&nbsp;Chenguang Liu,&nbsp;Aihua He","doi":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The flame retardancy of simple mechanical blending of trans-1,4-poly (butadiene-co-isoprene) block copolymer rubber (TBIR) with natural rubber (NR) and intumescent flame retardant (IFR) was investigated in this work. Compared with NR@IFR composite materials, the mechanical properties of NR/TBIR@IFR composite materials had been significantly improved. Especially, as the addition amount of TBIR increased, the 100 % tensile fatigue life was enhanced by 129.3 %, resolving the issue of mechanical property deterioration caused by additive flame retardants. The limit oxygen index (LOI) value of NR/TBIR@IFR was slightly improved and passed the UL-94 Vertical Burning test, fulfilling the requirement of self-extinguishing when removed from the fire. After the addition of TBIR, the peak heat release rate (PHRR) of the NR/TBIR@IFR system decreased from 295 kW/m² to 228.8 kW/m², and the total heat release rate (THR) dropped from 118.11 MJ/m² to 99.32 MJ/m². The flame retardant mechanism of the material after adding TBIR was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and Raman spectroscopy. The research results showed that TBIR, by synergistically constructing a network structure with uniformly dispersed flame retardants, promoted the rapid formation of a continuous and dense carbon layer, effectively suppressing the combustion behavior of NR composites in both condensed and gas phases. The addition of TBIR not only improved the dispersion of flame retardants in the rubber matrix but also enhanced the flame retardant and mechanical properties of NR composite materials through interfacial synergistic effects. It provided a new environmentally friendly strategy for the preparation of flame retardant rubber materials for high-fatigue service environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":406,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Degradation and Stability","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 111409"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143916920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Blending recycled poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with elastane recovered from textile fibers: A sustainable valorization approach","authors":"M. Guastaferro ,&nbsp;V. Gigante ,&nbsp;L. Aliotta,&nbsp;A. Lazzeri,&nbsp;C. Nicolella","doi":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The recycling of elastane from textile waste and its reintegration into polymeric matrices represents a possible pathway towards the achievement of a real circular economy in the textile industry. This study investigates the dissolution and recovery of elastane using environmentally friendly solvents and its subsequent blending with recycled poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Among tested solvents, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was the most effective, dissolving elastane at 120 °C with a solubility limit of 40.77 mg EL/g DMSO at 160 °C. Recovery via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) allowed for 75–80 % solvent recovery, with residual DMSO reduced down to 5–6 % after drying.</div><div>Blends of recycled PLA with recovered elastane (5–15 wt.%) were produced via melt extrusion and evaluated for mechanical and thermal properties. Tensile tests revealed that adding elastane reduced the elastic modulus (from 3.52 GPa for PLA to 3.14 GPa for PLA+15) while increasing elongation at break. However, tensile strength declined due to poor interfacial adhesion between PLA and elastane. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) confirmed elastane’s limited compatibility with PLA, showing separate glass transition temperatures at ∼60 °C (PLA) and ∼10 °C (elastane). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated an increase in PLA crystallinity (from 19.5 % for PLA to 24.9 % for PLA+5), followed by stabilization around 20.7 % at higher elastane content. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed elastane dispersion within the PLA matrix, with droplet coalescence at higher elastane concentrations.</div><div>Despite its limited compatibility, this study highlights the potential for elastane to have a second life and demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating it into recycled PLA. It lays the foundation for future research on compatibilization strategies to improve mechanical performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":406,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Degradation and Stability","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 111406"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143916922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural regulation of TLCP and evaluation of its long-term heat resistance after solid-state polymerization","authors":"Boang He,&nbsp;Ke Ma,&nbsp;Hai Wan,&nbsp;Ying Wang,&nbsp;Yuhan Chen,&nbsp;Wei Liu,&nbsp;Yuan Liang,&nbsp;Wenbin Jin,&nbsp;Shuohan Huang,&nbsp;Yong He,&nbsp;Yanping Wang,&nbsp;Yumin Xia","doi":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper, a series of liquid crystal polyarylates were synthesized through a two-step method involving p-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA), 4,4′-biphenyldiol (BP), terephthalic acid (TA), and isophthalic acid (IA). By adjusting the IA content (0–5 mol%), it was found that the introduction of IA significantly reduced the melting point (T_m) and crystallinity of the polyarylate while retaining its liquid crystallinity. When the IA content was 3 mol%, the polyarylate exhibited both optimized processability (T_m = 282.7 °C) and thermal stability (T_{5 %} &gt; 360 °C). The polymerization process was further optimized, and solid-state polymerization (SSP) was employed to increase the molecular weight. The results demonstrated that under solid-state polymerization conditions of either 270 °C for 6 h or 280 °C for 3 h, the polyarylate achieved a tensile strength exceeding 100 MPa and a softening temperature above 300 °C. Using the stepwise isothermal method (SIM), the long-term performance of the polyarylate at elevated temperatures was predicted. The solid-state polymerized polyarylate showed a significant reduction in strain under a constant stress at 170 °C over 10 years, confirming its long-term thermal stability. This study provides a novel strategy for the structural design and performance optimization of high-temperature-resistant engineering plastics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":406,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Degradation and Stability","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 111405"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143924092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations for oxidative aging of polymers under various O2 concentrations","authors":"Takato Ishida,&nbsp;Kazuya Haremaki,&nbsp;Yusuke Koide,&nbsp;Takashi Uneyama,&nbsp;Yuichi Masubuchi","doi":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111404","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111404","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modeling of polymer oxidative aging has been actively studied since the 1990s. Insights from these studies suggest that the transport of oxygen and radicals significantly influences aging heterogeneity, alongside chemical reaction kinetics. A recent simulation study [Ishida et al., <em>Macromolecules</em>, 56(21), 8474-8483, 2023] demonstrated that mesoscale heterogeneity arises when the H-abstraction reaction occurs faster than the relaxation times of polymer chains. In this study, the simulations were extended by modeling the rate of oxygen addition to polymer radicals (<span><math><msub><mi>k</mi><mn>2</mn></msub></math></span>) to reflect the effects of the O₂ concentration. In this work, polypropylene was chosen as a representative example of the target polymer. Three key aspects of oxidative aging behavior were found to be influenced by the O₂ addition rate: (i) reaction kinetics, (ii) the degree of heterogeneity, and (iii) amount of crosslinking. Namely, reducing O₂ concentration slows the conversion of polymer radicals into H-abstractable peroxyl radicals. This deceleration delays H-abstraction reactions, increases the number of polymer radicals, and promotes crosslinking reactions between two polymer radicals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":406,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Degradation and Stability","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 111404"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143916921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reaction retardancy and nonuniformity of polyacrylonitrile fibers by tow sizes during oxidative stabilization","authors":"Qiufei Chen ,&nbsp;Hongqiang Zhu ,&nbsp;Min Li ,&nbsp;Jian He ,&nbsp;Hamza Malik ,&nbsp;Baolin Fan ,&nbsp;Hui Zhang ,&nbsp;Yong Liu ,&nbsp;Jianyong Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111401","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111401","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Large-tow carbon fibers (CFs) possess more advantageous of cost than small-tow CFs, however, the uneven heat release during oxidative stabilization affects the chemical and physical performance of subsequent large-tow CFs. In this work, we prepared 12–48 K PAN oxidative stabilized fibers with continuous stabilization method, and the microstructural evolutions were investigated. The heat transfer and oxygen diffusion were inhibited and lagged in large-tow PAN fibers during oxidative stabilization, resulting in less cyclization reaction and oxygen-uptake reaction, and the small-tow stabilized fibers presented higher R_D, oxygen content, and more uniform degree of chemical reactions. Thermal behavior revealed that 48 K stabilized fibers demonstrated lower T_onset and higher Δ_H as they remained relatively more uncyclized linear structures. The cross-section morphologies were refined with the generation of oxidized structures, and the skin-core structures were induced, large-tow fibers demonstrated more radial heterogeneity related to the inhibited oxygen diffusion and uncompleted cyclization. Furthermore, less amorphous transformation occurred in large-tow fibers. Part of the heat generated by cyclization and oxidation reactions transferred into the inner layer and contribute to the chemical reactions, and some of it flew out, the ununiform extent of reactions made larger fluctuation in microvoid variations according to the SAXS results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":406,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Degradation and Stability","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 111401"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143898877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Randomly methylated β-cyclodextrin as a modifier in PBAT/PLA-based films: Stability and crystallinity evaluation","authors":"Khadar Duale ,&nbsp;Wanda Sikorska ,&nbsp;Marta Musioł ,&nbsp;Henryk Janeczek ,&nbsp;Marcin Godzierz ,&nbsp;Andrzej Marcinkowski ,&nbsp;Marek Kowalczuk ,&nbsp;Iza Radecka ,&nbsp;Abhishek Gupta ,&nbsp;Cristian Peptu ,&nbsp;Joanna Rydz","doi":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111399","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111399","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The poly(butylene adipate-<em>co</em>-butylene terephthalate)/polylactide (PBAT/PLA) have attracted a great deal of attention in recent years due to their excellent (bio)degradability. In this study, the PBAT/PLA-based films with and without randomly methylated β-cyclodextrin (RM-β-CD) were prepared using solvent-casting and pressing techniques to evaluate the physiochemical and degradation properties of the obtained films. The characterisation of PBAT/PLA-based films was conducted by using microscopes (optical and AFM), GPC, DSC, and XRD measurements. In addition, degradation tests in water at 37 and 70 °C were conducted under abiotic conditions for 70 days. The research revealed that the addition of RM-β-CD resulted in shifts in the glass transition temperature and greater ordering of PBAT/PLA-based films as well as a slight decrease in cytocompatibility. However, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity studies performed did not reveal any risks for their possible applications. Analysis of the degradation progress showed that at 37 °C a slight molar mass loss for solvent-cast films and a slightly higher loss for solvent-cast films with RM-β-CD were noticed. No changes were observed in the more ordered pressed films. Hydrolytic degradation of all PBAT/PLA-based films during incubation at 70 °C resulted in a continuous decrease in the molar mass. Solvent-cast films are characterised by poor miscibility and phase separation, resulting in high roughness. However, the higher temperature during degradation and generally the addition of RM-β-CD to the polymer matrix improved their miscibility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":406,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Degradation and Stability","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 111399"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143916918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of stabilizer formulations for Poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) via high-throughput chemiluminescence imaging and genetic algorithm","authors":"Kyo Yanagiyama,&nbsp;Toru Wada,&nbsp;Emi Sawade,&nbsp;Toshiaki Taniike","doi":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111389","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111389","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A combination of high-throughput chemiluminescence imaging and a genetic algorithm was implemented to develop stabilizer formulations for preventing the thermo-oxidative degradation of poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP). The identified best-performing formulation significantly enhanced the stability of PMP, extending its lifetime at 160 °C. Additionally, the results were compared to those previously obtained for polypropylene (PP) to identify commonalities and differences in stabilizer formulations between these polymers. It was found that both PMP and PP require synergistic combinations of stabilizers, though PMP tends to favor higher proportion of secondary antioxidants. This difference is likely attributed to processing temperatures and diffusion efficiency of molecules in the matrix polymers. Findings from a total of 160 samples (PMP: 90, PP: 70) highlight the importance of iterative optimization of stabilizer formulations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":406,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Degradation and Stability","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 111389"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143891851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Space environment exposure effects on polyimide aerogels","authors":"Sadeq Malakooti ,&nbsp;Stephanie L. Vivod ,&nbsp;Kim K. de Groh ,&nbsp;Jessica L. Cashman ,&nbsp;Mary Ann B. Meador ,&nbsp;DanielA. Scheiman ,&nbsp;Jonathan A. Salem ,&nbsp;Sylvie F. Crowell ,&nbsp;Linda S. McCorkle","doi":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111398","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111398","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) missions, polyimide aerogel samples as prepared and atomic oxygen plasma treated with bulk densities of 0.09 and 0.15 g/cm³ were exposed on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS) during MISSE-9, 12, and 15 missions for 0.77, 0.89, and 0.44-year direct space exposure times, respectively. The aerogel samples were synthesized from a combination of the diamines 1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)-2,2-dimethylpropane (BAPN) and 2,2′-dimethylbenzidine (DMBZ), 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), and 1,3,5-triaminophenoxybenzene (TAB) as the crosslinker. At low Earth orbit (LEO), spacecraft are subjected to extreme environmental conditions such as thermal cycling, solar radiation, cosmic rays, solar wind charged particles and atomic oxygen (AO). A post-flight analysis of aerogel physical, chemical, mechanical, thermal and optical properties were performed using a series of non-destructive techniques. The polyimide aerogels exhibited a notably higher AO erosion yield compared to nonporous Kapton H or HN polyimides, attributed to their order of magnitude lower bulk density and much higher surface area. Yet, the post-flight characterizations reveal no significant degradation in material properties. For example, in terms of material’s structural integrity, the post-flight Young’s moduli at both low and high densities were not statistically changed. Similar observations were obtained for thermal and optical properties in terms of changes in the materials’ thermal conductivity and solar absorptance. The aerogel flight samples with pre-flight surface treatments using atomic oxygen plasma showed a higher susceptibility to the LEO environment compared to as-prepared aerogel flight samples. Despite their high AO erosion yield, this study shows that polyimide aerogels maintain remarkable stability throughout extended space missions and explorations and therefore can be considered as a space-rated material.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":406,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Degradation and Stability","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 111398"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143895215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}