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

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optics
• Aerospace Engineering

Background:

• Spacecraft operations require advanced thermal management solutions.
• Maintaining visible light transmission is essential for internal and external visibility.
• Extreme space environments necessitate robust thermal radiation control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a lithography-free transparent smart radiation device (TSRD).
• To simultaneously manage thermal radiation and maintain visible light transmission for spacecraft.
• To investigate the potential of vanadium dioxide (VO2) and dielectric/metal/dielectric (D/M/D) structures for tunable thermal radiation.

Main Methods:

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

Main Results:

• The TSRD achieved high infrared reflection and visible light transmission.
• The device demonstrated tunable radiation characteristics influenced by VO2 phase transitions.
• Achieved an emission modulation of 0.631, solar absorption of 0.219, and visible light transmission up to 0.7.

Conclusions:

• The designed TSRD shows significant potential for spacecraft thermal control systems.
• VO2 and D/M/D structures are effective for advanced thermal radiation modulation.
• The device meets the critical need for managing thermal radiation while preserving visibility in space applications.