Preparation of a Black Silicone Thermal Control Coating and the Effect of Atomic Oxygen on the Coating

The effects of Atomic oxygen on various materials have been widely investigated in recent years by in-flight and laboratory simulation experiments. The interaction of atomic oxygen with materials may result in surface erosion, changes in chemical composition and surface morphology, changes in optical properties, and formation of particulate and molecular contamination of the spacecraft surfaces. White and black silicon coatings were widely used in space applications, such as protection of underlying organic material or as thermal control coatings. In this study, poly dimethyl siloxane, oxime silan and carbon black were used to make RTV-MB thermal control coating. The effect of atomic oxygen on surface erosion, chemical composition, surface morphology and optical properties of this coating were investigated by FTIR, SEM, EDS, XRD, AFM, spectroreflectometer and portable infrared reflectometer. The results showed that exposure of RTV-MB coating to atomic oxygen, causes the near surface to lose its organic components and form SiO2, which acts as a protection layer and slows further oxidation. Therefore, RTV-MB coating can provide sufficient erosion resistant to atomic oxygen attacks in LEO.