Ceramic thermal control coating based on yttrium oxide

The paper presents the results of studying the radiation stability of the newly designed ceramic thermal control coatings based on the yttrium oxide pigment (Y 2 O 3 ) and potassium liquid glass (K 2 SiO 3 ). The optimal pigment/binder mass ratio (80:20) was experimentally determined. This ratio provides the highest adhesion and the lowest solar absorptance (α s ). The pigment was modified with 1 and 2 wt% silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles to study the effect of modification on the optical properties of the coatings exposed to accelerated electrons (30 keV, fluence up to 7·10 16 cm −2 ). It was confirmed that all of the obtained coatings show efficient initial optical properties (α s = 0.062–0.074) and the coatings based on modified pigment possess increased radiation stability. The results indicate the applicability of coatings based on yttrium oxide for passive thermal control systems of spacecraft.