Brominated polystyrene at preselected atom %

One aspect of inertial confinement fusion research is the study of the interaction of high energy light with materials containing varying concentrations of a wide range of dopant atoms. These dopant atoms may serve as sensitive diagnostics or as modifiers of material properties. In most of the ICF applications for doped materials, control of the dopant level is critical, as is control of the material properties, largely from a fabrication point of view. For these reasons many of the needed materials are not available commercially. To meet our needs we have developed a significant materials development effort which focuses on the covalent inclusion of dopant atoms into carbon based polymer systems. In the work presented here we report on the preparation and properties of partially brominated polystyrene. We will first explain how the material is synthesized and how the level of bromine is controlled. We will then discuss our characterization of the material and finish with a brief discussion of fabrication and material uses