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      Effect of Surface Plasma Treatments on the Adhesion of Mars JSC 1 Simulant Dust to RTV 655, RTV 615, and Sylgard 184

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          Abstract

          Background

          Dust accumulation on surfaces of critical instruments has been a major concern during lunar and Mars missions. Operation of instruments such as solar panels, chromatic calibration targets, as well as Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) suits has been severely compromised in the past as a result of dust accumulation and adhesion. Wind storms with wind speeds of up to 70 mph have not been effective in removing significant amounts of the deposited dust. This is indeed an indication of the strength of the adhesion force(s) involved between the dust particles and the surface(s) that they have adhered to. Complications associated with dust accumulation are more severe for non-conducting surfaces and have been the focus of this work.

          Methodology

          Argon plasma treatment was investigated as a mechanism for lowering dust accumulation on non-conducting polymeric surfaces. Polymers chosen for this study include a popular variety of silicones routinely used for space and terrestrial applications namely RTV 655, RTV 615, and Sylgard 184. Surface properties including wettability, surface potential, and surface charge density were compared before and after plasma treatment and under different storage conditions. Effect of ultraviolet radiation on RTV 655 was also investigated and compared with the effect of Ar plasma treatment.

          Conclusion/Significance

          Gravimetric measurements proved Ar plasma treatment to be an effective method for eliminating dust adhesion to all three polymers after short periods of exposure. No physical damage was detected on any of the polymer surfaces after Ar plasma treatment. The surface potential of all three polymers remained zero up to three months post plasma exposure. Ultraviolet radiation however was not effective in reducing surface and caused damage and significant discoloration to RTV 655. Therefore, Ar plasma treatment can be an effective and non-destructive method for treating insulating polymeric surfaces in order to eliminate dust adhesion and accumulation.

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          Most cited references4

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          Surface modification of Sylgard-184 poly(dimethyl siloxane) networks by ultraviolet and ultraviolet/ozone treatment.

          We report on the surface modification of Sylgard-184 poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) networks by ultraviolet (UV) radiation and ultraviolet/ozone (UVO) treatment. The effects of the UV light wavelength and ambient conditions on the surface properties of Sylgard-184 are probed using a battery of experimental probes, including static contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure, and X-ray reflectivity. Our results reveal that when exposed to UV, the PDMS macromolecules in the surface region of Sylgard-184 undergo chain scission, involving both the main chain backbone and the side groups. The radicals formed during this process recombine and form a network whose wetting properties are similar to those of a UV-modified model PDMS. In contrast to the UV radiation, the UVO treatment causes very significant changes in the surface and near-surface structure of Sylgard-184. Specifically, the molecular oxygen and ozone created during the UVO process interact with the UV-modified specimen. As a result of these interactions, the surface of the sample contains a large number of hydrophilic (mainly -OH) groups. In addition, the material density within the first approximately 5 nm reaches about 50% of that of pure silica. A major conclusion that can be drawn from the results and analysis described in this work is that the presence of the silica fillers in Sylgard-184 does not alter the surface properties of the UVO- and UV-modified Sylgard-184.
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            Magnetic properties experiments on the Mars Pathfinder lander: preliminary results.

            Many of the particles currently suspended in the martian atmosphere are magnetic, with an average saturation magnetization of about 4 A. m2/kg (amperes times square meters per kilogram). The particles appear to consist of claylike aggregates stained or cemented with ferric oxide (Fe2O3); at least some of the stain and cement is probably maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3). The presence of the gamma phase would imply that Fe2+ ions leached from the bedrock, passing through a state as free Fe2+ ions dissolved in liquid water. These particles could be a freeze-dried precipitate from ground water poured out on the surface. An alternative is that the magnetic particles are titanomagnetite occurring in palagonite and inherited directly from a basaltic precursor.
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              Surface modification and evaluation of some commonly used catheter materials. I. Surface properties.

              Double catheter systems consisting of a stiff outer catheter and a flexible, buoyant, flow-directed, inner catheter which is often balloon-tipped have been employed with increasing frequency recently in both therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. Their use, however, has been restricted because of the excessive friction generated between the two catheters. In an attempt to decrease friction between polymers commonly used as catheter materials, oxidation of polyethylene, fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer, poly(vinyl chloride), silicone rubber, and polystyrene surfaces was induced by exposing the polymers to radio frequency glow discharge (RFGD) in a helium environment. All polymers were surface characterized utilizing x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and contact angle measurements before and after oxidation. This article describes the materials and methods used to fabricate and characterize the polymer surfaces and the results of the characterization. The results indicate that increases in oxygen concentration at the surface of the polymers and decreases in air-water contact angles occur with increased RFGD exposure time. Plateau values were usually obtained after 5-30 s exposure time, yet no apparent changes in surface topography were noted by scanning electron microscopy. The hydrophilic surfaces produced were stable for up to three months storage time in air.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: Editor
                Journal
                PLoS One
                PLoS ONE
                plos
                plosone
                PLoS ONE
                Public Library of Science (San Francisco, USA )
                1932-6203
                2012
                15 October 2012
                : 7
                : 10
                : e45719
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Physics, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America
                [2 ]Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America
                Harbin Institute of Technology, China
                Author notes

                Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

                Conceived and designed the experiments: FS. Performed the experiments: FS MSR JJH TPC CNM CJH RLL. Analyzed the data: FS JM. Wrote the paper: FS.

                Article
                PONE-D-12-19449
                10.1371/journal.pone.0045719
                3471900
                23077496
                60d4b410-df3a-4d31-a7be-8fc276994d50
                Copyright @ 2012

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

                History
                : 3 July 2012
                : 23 August 2012
                Page count
                Pages: 12
                Funding
                The first author is the recipient of the 2008 APS Hildred Blewett Award and would like to acknowledge the agency for financial support. Financial support was also provided in part by the TN Space Grant Consortium. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
                Categories
                Research Article
                Astronomical Sciences
                Planetary Sciences
                Planets
                Mars
                Space Exploration
                Lunar Exploration
                Mars Exploration Program
                Space Missions
                Earth Sciences
                Atmospheric Science
                Atmospheric Physics
                Materials Science
                Material by Structure
                Polymers
                Elastomers
                Thermosetting Polymers
                Materials Characterization
                Materials Physics
                Physics
                Electricity
                Electrostatics
                Materials Physics

                Uncategorized
                Uncategorized

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