Testing of substrates for flexible optical solar reflectors: irradiations of nano-hybrid coatings of polyimide films with 20 keV electrons and with 200–400 nm ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

In the frame of a project aimed at developing a new type of optical solar reflectors we present the scientific and technological issues addressed during irradiations of nano-hybrid coatings on polyimide films by using 20 keV electron beam from a modified use of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and with ultraviolet (UV) dose equal to 300 space-equivalent Sun hours. Details of a new approach to use SEM for low energy electron irradiations and of a new UV irradiation setup are given. K : Radiation damage evaluation methods; Radiation damage monitoring systems; Charge induction 1Corresponding author. 2On leave from INFN under the support of Tubitak-2236 Brain Circulation Scheme.

Interfacing Arduino Boards with Optical Sensor Arrays: Overview and Realization of an Accurate Solar Compass

“…The main features of Arduino boards are described in numerous books and articles [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Figure 1 shows a photo of an Arduino UNO board, where the various elements that make it up are indicated.…”

“…In the Laboratory of Plasma Applications and Interdisciplinary Experiments at the ENEA Research Center in Frascati, several experiments made use of Arduino boards, as in [ 8 ], where UV light irradiation was carried out on samples to test their resistance to solar radiation degradation outside the atmosphere. In that case, an Arduino NANO board was interfaced both with some light sensors (photoresistors) to monitor the intensity of the light as a function of time and with a probe to control the temperature of the sample and possibly turn off the light if the temperature had exceeded the alert value.…”

“…A very simple light sensor, the photoresistor, whose electrical resistance varies as a function of the light power that excites it, was used during the experiment described in [ 8 ]. When this sensor is inserted into an electrical circuit, the light intensity is measured by checking the voltage drop across the resistor pins.…”

“…Nowadays, many research laboratories exploit the Arduino electronics, but in most cases, it is used as an analog-to-digital converter and storage device [ 7 ], as a temperature datalogger [ 8 ], as a servo-mechanism controller [ 9 ], as a brightness and contrast regulator [ 10 ], as a triggering system [ 11 ], as an RGB sensor controller [ 12 ], and so on. In contrast, information on the interface between Arduino and an optical sensor array is difficult to find in the scientific literature.…”

Effective and Efficient Pretreatment of Polyimide Substrates by Capacitively Coupled Plasma for Coating the Composites of Tetracycline-Imprinted Polymers and Quantum Dots: Comparison with Chemical Pretreatment

“…Polyimide (PI) is one of the materials most used as a plastic substrate. For improving the adhesion of coating materials on the chemically inert PI substrate, electron beam [9], laser [10], ion beam [11], ultraviolet (UV)/O 3 radiation [12], gamma-ray [13], plasma [14][15][16][17][18], and chemicals [19][20][21], have been applied to PI surfaces before coating. In contrast with the dry treatments, wet chemical modification possesses lower instrument expenses but more tedious procedures.…”