Date Thesis Awarded

4-2015

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Science (BS)

Department

Chemistry

Advisor

Robert Orwoll

Committee Members

Richard Kiefer

Robert Hinkle

Robert Scholnick

Abstract

Space radiation continues to be a problem for sustained space travel, harming humans and sensitive machinery. Overcoming this barrier is crucial to NASA’s goals for manned missions to asteroids and Mars. Therefore, more research is needed in order to safely protect our missions. Passive shielding through high performance polymers shows promise in providing lightweight shielding and strength for spacecraft. This thesis focused on the novel synthesis of aromatic, hydrogen rich co-polyimides. It was shown that through thermal co-polymerization, favorable physical and chemical properties increased due to the presence of branching and/or crosslinking chains in the polymer matrix.

Recommended Citation

Raper, Jarrell H., "High Performance Co-Polyimide Synthesis for Cosmic Radiation Shielding" (2015). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 201.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/201