Synthesis and characterization of self-metallizing gold-doped polyimide films

State‐of‐the‐art methods for producing reflective polymer films for space applications involve multiple steps, and the integrity of the metal–polymer interface is less than optimal. A more efficient process was developed that consists of doping polyamic acid resins with gold additives and curing them to form self‐metallizing polyimide films. Several moderately reflective, flexible metallic gold films were produced that have good thermal stability and mechanical properties, a strong metal–polymer interface, and in some cases, electrical conductivity. It was found that the polymer system, gold additive, gold concentration, and heat treatment all affect the reflectivity, flexibility, and conductivity of the resulting polyimide films by affecting the degree of metallization of the film surface. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.