Lithography-free transparent spacecraft smart radiation device based on phase change material VO₂

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Aerospace Engineering
• Optics

Background:

• Spacecraft operations require advanced thermal management solutions to cope with extreme environments.
• Simultaneous control of thermal radiation and visible light transmission is crucial for spacecraft safety and functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a lithography-free transparent smart radiation device (TSRD) for spacecraft thermal control.
• To engineer a device utilizing vanadium dioxide (VO2) and a dielectric/metal/dielectric (D/M/D) structure for tunable thermal radiation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a D/M/D structure incorporating a phase change material, vanadium dioxide (VO2).
• Utilized multilayer interference and metal reflectivity for infrared light reflection and visible light transmission.
• Integrated a BaF2 dielectric layer to form a Fabry-Perot (FP) resonance with the VO2 layer for enhanced tuning.

Main Results:

• Achieved high infrared light reflection and visible light transparency through the D/M/D structure.
• Demonstrated tunable radiation characteristics influenced by the phase transition of VO2.
• Reported an emission modulation of 0.631, solar absorption of 0.219, and visible light transmission up to 0.7.

Conclusions:

• The designed TSRD exhibits significant potential for spacecraft thermal control systems.
• VO2 and D/M/D structures are effective for advanced thermal radiation modulation.
• The device offers a promising solution for managing spacecraft temperature fluctuations while preserving visibility.