Multifunctional Protective Coatings for Spacecraft Surfaces

The purpose of this STTR phase I proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing the survivable multi-functional engineered material systems for spacecraft surfaces at an affordable cost using the proposed novel material designs and processes. The objectives of these efforts are not only to demonstrate the technical feasibility, but also to illustrate that at least 50% cost savings for DOD's hardware can be feasible. The proposed STTR phase I efforts by AMS Engineering, Inc (AMSENG) and University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC)-Micro Physics Laboratory (MPL) are uniquely innovative and cost-effective because of team's investments in the IR&D efforts for the next generation material systems for space applications, especially towards the goal of providing high leakage current material systems for the robust survivability. The various material formulations, solid state chemistries and mesoporous zeolites were studied at AMSENG and MPL. MPL's efforts are in the areas of thin oxide films and towards the modification of one of the MBE unit to simulate spacecraft charging. These studies are the basis of the proposed efforts. Thus, the AMSENG-MPL team is in a unique position to undertake the proposed engineered material technology development efforts for the possible rapid completion and material insertion efforts during the phase II. The proposed efforts are to demonstrate the use of envisioned novel solid state chemistries that can provide the needed leakage current capabilities with required transparency or semi-transparency that can help to tailor the reflectance. Our efforts will evaluate the material systems concepts and processing concepts that can yield various mesoporous and transparent as well as semi transparent material systems as the generic material systems that can be used on various hardware for tailoring the required survivability and robustness through further doping. The feasibility proof on these material systems can help us to package them as tailored coatings for various bus structures and components for much needed robustness. We anticipate that the proposed multifunctionality engineering efforts can help us to formulate survivable and robust thermal control products, adhesives, transparent and semi-transparent active and passive charge mitigation coatings. A unique small effort is also proposed to avoid incorporation of solar absorption centers, while tailoring appropriate ESD function and percolation paths in the material system and tailoring the required total hemispherical diffuse reflectance through microstructural and temporal manipulation of the scattering centers for the needed space stability. Here the emphasis is only on the manipulation of pores as scattering centers through appropriate processing of mesoporous material system. The feasibility of in-situ incorporating nano-engineered electron donors also will be checked. Such a clever manipulation in the microstructure of the material systems may assist to neutralize solar flare protons and at the appropriate concentrations can enhance the survivability of the material system to the Directed Energy Weapons. The efforts clearly have aim to demonstrate that such multi-functional material system can not only assist in surface charge dissipation, but also can avoid deep charge deposition, while achieving the robustness.