Use of plasma treatment in surface modification of EPDM rubber for composition of thermal protection material

• Grant number: 07/02066-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2007
• End date: May 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Aerospace Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Massi
• Grantee: Mauro Santos de Oliveira Junior
• Host Institution: Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA). Ministério da Defesa (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The aerospace industry use rubber as thermal protection for rockets and missiles, however, the remaining technological challenge is to obtain a satisfactory level of adhesion with the polymeric materials used as adhesives and solid propellants. Among the techniques used to solve this problem, we can highlight the plasma technology, which allows us to modify the polymer surface without changing its bulk properties. In this project, we will use a microwave plasma reactor to activate the surface of the elastomer (EPDM Rubber) used as flexible thermal protection in solid propellant rocket and missiles chamber of the Brazilian Aerospace Program. The EPDM samples will be provided by the Chemical Division of the Aeronautic and Space Institute (IAE). All samples will be characterized before being submitted to the microwave plasma treatment at different plasma conditions. The main parameters that will be varied are: the gas mixture (argon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen) and the gas flow, the chamber pressure, the treatment time, and the sample position in relation to the main plasma. The modification produced by the plasma treatment on the rubber surface will be studied by: goniometry, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. At the end of the project we intend to find a set of parameters that maximize the adhesion properties of the EPDM rubber used for aerospace applications using a microwave plasma reactor.