Durable and Flexible Oxidation Resistant Coatings Deposited Via Aerosol Impact Driven Assembly

Swift Coat is actively developing coatings for space-based applications including anti-reflective coatings for space-photovoltaic modules and anti-fog coatings for use in spacesuits and vehicles. As these coatings are often on exterior surfaces, Swift Coat has engineered them to be resistant to exposure to atomic oxygen. The work proposed in this project focuses on modifying elements of these existing coatings to not only be resistant to atomic oxygen themselves, but to also protect underlying sensitive substrates, specifically the woven carbon fabric canopy used as part of the Adaptive Deployable Entry Placement Technology platform. Over the course of this project, the investigators will produce a coating with the following properties: 1) Coated woven carbon fabric has 75% less rate of mass loss upon exposure to atomic oxygen when compared to uncoated fabric. 2) Coated woven carbon fabric maintains performance after abrasion, folding, thermocycling, exposure to high temperatures and general handling. 3) Coating can be applied to substates at least 0.5 m x 2 m with a path to expanding to much larger substrates in Phase II.