Low Creep/Low Relaxation Materials for Deployable Structures, Year 1

Design of new, stiff molecular structures containing aromatic rings. Candidate polymer structures are aromatic polyimides synthesized from rigid monomers. Use of reactive functional groups to control cross-linking density, keeping a good balance between restriction of molecular rearrangement and material brittleness. Addition of second phase components to restrict large scale rearrangements of polymer molecules.#Characterization of the temperature-dependent creep and stress relaxation properties to predict life time creep behavior.