The space environment is harsh and full of extreme radiation. Scientists designing spacecraft and satellites need materials that can withstand these conditions.
In one paper published in January 2024, my team of materials researchers demonstrated that a next generation semiconductor material CALLED metal-halide perovskite can really recover and recover itself from radiation damage.
Metal-halide perovskites are a class of materials discovered in 1839 that are abundant in the Earth’s crust. They absorb sunlight and convert it efficiently into electricity, making them a potentially good fit space based solar panels that can power the satellites or future space habitats.
Researchers make shaped perovskites of paintsthen paint the inks onto glass or plastic plates, creating thin, film-like devices that are light and flexible.
Surprisingly, these thin film solar cells perform as well as conventional silicon solar cells in laboratory demonstrations, although they are almost 100 times thinner than traditional solar cells.
Connected: Space-based solar power could be one step closer to reality, thanks to this key test (video)
But these films can degrade if exposed to them moisture or oxygen. Researchers and industry are currently working to address these stability concerns land settlement.
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To test how they can stand ROOM, my team conducted a radiation experiment. We exposed perovskite solar cells to low and high energy protons and found a unique, new property.
High energy protons healed the damage caused by the low-energy protons, allowing the device to recover and continue doing its job. Conventional semiconductors used for aerospace electronics do not show this recovery.
My team was surprised by this discovery. How can a material that degrades when exposed to oxygen and moisture not only withstand the harsh radiation of space, but also self-heal in an environment that destroys conventional silicon semiconductors?
In our paper, we began to unravel this mystery.
Why does it matter?
Scientists predict that in the next 10 years, the satellite will be launched in the vicinity ofearth orbit will grow exponentiallyand space agencies such as NASA intend to lay foundations on the moon.
Materials that can tolerate extreme radiation and self-heal would be game-changing.
Researchers estimate that placing just a few kilograms of perovskite material in space can generate up to 10,000,000 watts of power. It currently costs about $4,000 per kilogram ($1,818 per pound) to launch materials into spaceso efficient materials are important.
What is not yet known
Our findings shed light on a remarkable aspect of perovskites – their tolerance to damage and defects. Perovskite crystals are a type of soft materialwhich means that their ATOM can move in different states that scientists call vibrational modes.
The atoms in perovskites are normally arranged in a lattice formation. But radiation can knock atoms out of position, damaging the material. The vibrations can help reset the atoms back into place, but we’re still not sure how this process works.
What is expected next?
Our findings suggest that soft materials may be uniquely useful in extreme environments, including space.
But radiation isn’t the only stress materials must face in space weather. Scientists do not yet know how perovskites will perform when exposed to vacuum conditions and extreme temperature changes, along with radiation, all at once. Temperature may play a role in the healing behavior my team saw, but we’ll need to do more research to determine how.
These results show us that soft materials can help scientists develop technology that works well in extreme environments. Future research could delve deeper into how vibrations in these materials relate to any self-healing properties.
of Research Summary is a brief summary of interesting academic work.