High Emissivity Protective Cerablak Coatings for Metallic TPS

The proposed effort relates to the use of Cerablak?, an amorphous-based black oxide material, as a coating for protection of metallic thermal protection systems (TPS) to be used in reusable launch vehicles (RLVs). This material shows potential to be a coating that meets all of NASA?s requirements for TPS protection in a single material system. The basic technical requirements for a coating to protect metal TPS are a) total hemispherical emittance >0.8 to maximize re-radiation b) low catalytic efficiency (<0.3) for recombination of atomic N and O species, and c) protection against oxidation of the underlying metal substrate at temperatures up to 2000oF (1093oC) for approximately 15 minutes during each reentry. The coating material is also lightweight, low cost, and easily repairable. The proposed coating material is easily applicable by painting, and is amenable to quick field repair. Phase I work will focus on optimizing emissivity of the material and developing coatings. Phase II will focus on further developing coating for metallic TPS panels and further testing for emissivity and catalytic efficiency.