SAIP2026

Evaluation of poly(2,5-benzimidazole) against vacuum ultraviolet radiation for space applications.

10 Jul 2026, 10:10

20m

Lecture Hall GH1 (University of the Western Cape)

Oral Presentation Track A - Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials

Speaker

Ernst Ellis (North-West University)

Description

The search for lightweight materials as replacements for legacy materials used in space exploration has been an ongoing endeavour. In the low Earth orbit range, various threats cause extensive degradation of spacecraft materials. For the consideration of organic materials such as polymers, one of the threats that should be considered is ultraviolet (UV) radiation [1]. The UV radiation generated by the sun makes up ~8% of the total solar radiance. A subsection of UV, from 100 to 200nm, also known as vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), has sufficient energy to cause dissociation of organic bonds [2]. The polymeric system considered for this research is poly(2,5-benzimidazole) (ABPBI). ABPBI is an inexpensive polymer that possesses great thermal and chemical properties [3-5]. This investigation utilizes both experimental and computational methods to determine the effect of VUV radiation on the ABPBI polymer. The experimental method includes exposure to VUV radiation for 1000 equivalent sun hours, and pre- and post-analyses of the surface and polymer matrix to determine the extent of degradation. Computationally, a light-matter interaction of the benzimidazole monomer was simulated using non-adiabatic quantum-classical molecular dynamics.

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