Q: |
What is meant by "out gassing" of a kapton label? |
A: |
We all love the smell of a new car...there's nothing quite like it. One year later...have you noticed the haze on the windows, even when you have never allowed ANYONE to smoke in your car? The lovely "new car smell" is an example of OUTGASSING, and the foggy window is typical of the long-term effects, a haze deposited on surfaces. Many materials will emit gases under heat, such as the heat of the sun on the interior of your car. These "volatile" materials are present in almost all polymeric/synthetic materials, such as coatings, films, and adhesives. As heat is applied, the volatile organic compounds (or VOC's) evaporate from (in the case at hand) the polyimide or kapton label. The gaseous molecules are free to be re-deposited on a cooler surface, such as a car window, mirror, or any other surface. In the case of labels, the VOC's include small amounts of residual solvents from the coating process, plasticers, additives, and un-reacted monomer from the variety of polymerizations used to create the materials. |
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