VO2-based intelligent thermal control coating for spacecraft by regulating infrared emittance

Enabling Active Nanotechnologies by Phase Transition: From Electronics, Photonics to Thermotics

“…On the basis of Kirchhoff’s law of thermal radiation, the emissivity of an arbitrary body in thermodynamic equilibrium is equal to the absorptivity in the IR region, that is, ε­(λ) = α­(λ). , Hence, an abrupt change of thermal emissivity is expected during phase transition. Taking advantage of the tunable thermal emissivity, different functionalities have been realized including thermal camouflage, , anticounterfeiting, radiative cooling of buildings, and much more. ,, Nevertheless, the dramatic variation of thermal properties can only happen around the phase change temperature, which hampers further applications of PCMs in a wide range of temperatures. One effective method to overcome this limitation is to alter the temperature of phase transition, for instance, through doping impurities. ,,− One notable example is doping tungsten in VO 2 to expand its applicable range of emissivity modulation .…”

“…In the thermal IR spectrum, the thermal emissivity can have drastic variation during the phase transition, leading to the realization of various functions such as thermal camouflage, , anticounterfeiting, radiative cooling of buildings, and much more. , However, the thermal radiation modulation that only occurs near the phase transition point blocks its further applications to a wide range of temperatures. Besides, for some specific applications such as thermal camouflage, a continuous power supply is needed to sustain the VO 2 sample at the desired temperature, which is power-hungry .…”

“…Taking advantage of the tunable thermal emissivity, different functionalities have been realized including thermal camouflage, 47,96 anticounterfeiting, 376 radiative cooling of buildings, 377 and much more. 30,378,379 Nevertheless, the dramatic variation of thermal properties can only happen around the phase change temperature, which hampers further applications of PCMs in a wide range of temperatures. One effective method to overcome this limitation is to alter the temperature of phase transition, for instance, through doping impurities.…”

“…The vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) is a typical TMO, which switches from insulator to metal state at T MIT = 67 °C. During its MIT, both the optical and thermal properties change dramatically (dielectric constant of 4.9 switch to −35 + 119i near 10.6 μm; and thermal emissivity can drop with large contrast at IR region), making the material a promising candidate for reconfigurable photonic devices ,, and thermal radiation control. ,− Furthermore, the phase change temperature of TMOs can be controlled via doping various impurities such as tungsten, offering more freedom to manipulate this transition. In addition, considering that the in situ fine modulation of ambient temperatures could be available with the resolution of few tens of nanometers, TMOs hence could support the nanoscale tunable functionalities in the field of optics, information technology, and energy.…”

Study of resistance performance of Al2O3–ZnO–Y2O3thermal control coating exposed to vacuum-ultraviolet irradiation

“…With the development of space science and technology, geosynchronous orbit satellites are being developed with light weight, long life and high reliability. 1,2 Thermal control coating is a main passive thermal control means to ensure the temperature balance of the satellite, [3][4][5] guaranteeing the highly reliable operation of the satellite. Therefore, it is desired to develop a novel thermal control coating with light weight and high space stability to improve the service life of satellites.…”