Synergistic effect of proton irradiation and strain on the mechanical properties of polyimide fibers

• Published in: RSC advances Vol. 1; no. 65; pp. 39572 - 39579
• Main Authors: Dandan, Ju, Chengyue, Sun, Hao, Wang, Xinmin, Wang, Yiyong, Wu, Zhixin, Dong, Xuepeng, Qiu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 29.10.2020; The Royal Society of Chemistry
• Subjects: Chemistry; Deoxygenation; Elongation; Free radicals; Mechanical properties; Proton irradiation; Protons; Radiation damage; Strain analysis; Synergistic effect; Tensile strength; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy
• ISSN: 2046-2069; 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/d0ra07039d

The damage behaviors of polyimide fiber after 150 keV proton irradiation and the synergistic effect of proton irradiation and strain were investigated. Changes in the mechanical properties, free radicals, element content, and element chemical state of the polyimide fiber before and after 150 keV proton irradiation were investigated. The results showed that the tensile strength and elongation at break of the material decreased significantly after proton irradiation. The synergistic effect of proton irradiation and strain weakened the reduction of mechanical properties caused by single proton irradiation. After proton irradiation and the combination of proton irradiation and strain, pyrolytic carbon free radicals were generated. According to XPS analysis, the proton-irradiated polyimide fiber underwent complex denitrification and deoxygenation reactions, and carbon enrichment appeared on the surface of the material. Compared with the single irradiated sample, the tensile strength and elongation at break after the combination of proton irradiation and strain increased, indicating that introducing strain during irradiation will weaken the damage of irradiation.