TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE ALL PLASTIC COMPOSITES FOR AIRCRAFT WINDOWS

EFFECTIVE DISCHARGE OF THE ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE BUILDUP ON AIRCRAFT IS NOT PRESENTLY POSSIBLE ON THOSE AREAS SUCH AS THE COCKPIT CANOPY AND WINDOWS WHERE THE NECESSITY OF TRANSPARENCY DOES NOT ALLOW USE OF METALLIC FILMS OR CONDUCTING COMPOSITES WHICH ARE OPAQUE. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL FABRICATE AND TEST POLYMER BLENDS INCORPORATING THE TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE POLYMER POLYISOTHIANAPHTHENE (PITN) INTO CONVENTIONAL PLASTICS USED IN WINDOWS. THE BLENDS WILL HAVE ENHANCED CONDUCTIVITY WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE OPTICAL CHARACTERISTICS. BLENDS OF PITN WITH POLYACRYLIC AND POLYCARBONATE RESINS WILL BE THERMOFORMED INTO SHEETS. IN ADDITION, SOLUTION BLENDING OF THE HOSTS WITH SOLUBLE POLYDIHYDROISOTHIANAPHTHENE (PDHITN) WILL BE USED TO MAKE FILMS OF THE BLENDS. PDHITN, WHICH IS TRANSPARENT AND CAN BE DISSOLVED IN A NUMBER OF SOLVENTS WILL BE CHEMICALLY CONVERTED TO PITN EITHER DURING THE BLENDING PROCESS OR BY TREATMENT OF THE BLEND AFTER THE FILMS ARE FORMED. THE ELECTRICAL, OPTICAL, AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE BLENDS WILL BE MEASURED AS A FUNCTION OF THE LOADING OF PITN AND THE PROCESSING CONDITIONS.