Investigating the dust mitigation abilities of dissociative degradation
Particulate contamination requires dust mitigation techniques to provide low-scatter surfaces on sensitive instrumentation in space. We have shown that poly(olefin sulfone)s photodegrade under spacelike conditions: in vacuum and with UV light exposure. We now demonstrate that photodegradable polymers can reduce dust accumulation on optical surfaces for space applications. This investigation shows that the dissociative degradation of poly(olefin sulfone)s significantly decreased the number of dust particles on a dust-coated surface. These results suggest a powerful way to mitigate the collection of extraterrestrial dust on optical surfaces in space, enabling passive removal of particulate contamination without any direct human intervention.
Authors
- David D. Allred (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6163-518X)
- Takeo Sasaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7643-3203)
- Matthew O Clarkson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2527-4556)
- Joshua J. Vawdrey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8744-4103)
- Walter F. Paxton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2438-4542)
- Osemudiamhen D. Amienghemhen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3584-4536)
- Alexandra K. Stapley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6886-0204)
- M. B. Peterson
- Kira B. Sand (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8527-8242)
- Marian Stradling
Institutions
- Brigham Young University (US)
- Tokyo University of Science (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A Vacuum Surfaces and Films
- Published
- 2025-10-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0004913
- Primary Topic
- Silicone and Siloxane Chemistry
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00