Abstract
The impact of silver metallization and electron irradiation on the physical and mechanical properties ofpolyimide films has been studied. The metal that impregnated the structure of the polyimide substrate was1–5 μm. The surface coatings contained 80–97% of the relative silver mirror in the visible and infraredregions. Irradiation was performed at the ELU-6 linear accelerator with an average beam electron energyof 2 MeV, an integral current of up to 1000 μA, a pulse repetition rate of 200 Hz, and a pulse duration of5 μs. The absorbed dose in the samples was 10, 20, 30, and 40 MGy. The samples were deformed at roomtemperature under uniaxial tension on an Instron 5982 universal testing system. A substantial growth of mechanicalcharacteristics resulting from the film metallization, as compared to the pure film, was observed.The growth of the ultimate strength by Δσ = 105 MPa and the plasticity by Δε = 75% is connected with thecharacteristics of the change of structure of the metallized films and the chemical etching conditions. Theelectron irradiation of the metallized polyimide film worsens its elastic and strength characteristics due tothe formation of new phases in the form of silver oxide in the coating. The concentration of these phasesincreased with increasing dose, which was also the result of the violation of the ordered material structure,namely, the rupture of polyimide macromolecule bonds and the formation of new phases of silver in thecoating. A mathematical model agrees with the experimental data.