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TOMSK, Jul 15 – RIA Tomsk. Scientists of Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR) and employees of the Roscosmos material science company "Kompozit" ("Composite") received a patent for a new protective coating using barium sulfate, which helps protect spacecraft from overheating, the university’s press service said on Wednesday.
According to the press service, barium sulfate was not previously used in the space industry. The new coating will be applied to the spacecrafts' radiators responsible for temperature control. The product is created from a compound of a nanoparticle-modified pigment barium sulfate and reflects radiation better than other coatings. This allows to better maintain the temperature of the radiator at a given level and helps to ensure the operation of all devices, protecting them from overheating.
"Different radiation in space creates defects on the surface of the surface of the thermo-regulation radiator, its coating darkens, while in the initial state it is white, reflecting radiation well. Nanoparticles in the composition of the pigment are deposited and form a dense layer, thereby relaxing these defects", – the press service quoted the head of the TUSUR Laboratory of Radiation and Space Materials Science Mikhail Mikhailov.
It is added that a team of researchers from TUSUR modified pigments and conducted tests in simulated space conditions.
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"On the simulator we created three types of radiation, looked at how defects are formed. Based on the experimental data, we determined how the surface of the device will change without our coating and how - with it. As a result, we were able to make a forecast up to 20 years of operation", – the press service quoted Mikhailov.
It is clarified that design studies have been conducted since 2017. The authors of the study are counting on the introduction of development in the near future in real practice.