Polyimides are attractive mirror candidate materials due to their low mass, solar radiation resistance, and cryogenic
flexibility. However, polyimides exhibit high coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) values (40-70 ppm/K), inducing
image distortion from CTE mismatch. Additionally, the temperature of large aperture (10 m) membranes is not
uniformly controlled in space, further increasing image distortion from anisotropic deformations. The CTE of the MSRS
Novastrat polyimide line was adjusted to exhibit CTEs between -16 ppm/K and 53 ppm/K, including 0 ppm/K, 10
ppm/K, 17 ppm/K, and 25 ppm/K corresponding with CTE matches of graphite/epoxy, carbon steel, copper, and
aluminum (respectively). The development of these CTE-matched membranes is presented, as well as the effect of the
CTE adjustment on the mechanical properties.
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