Investigation of atomic oxygen corrosion of satellite components coating under equivalent LEO orbit conditions

Space systems in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) are exposed to the destructive parameter of atomic oxygen. In long-term missions, the rate of degradation of the material resulting from the reaction with atomic oxygen is significant and reduces the performance of the structure. Due to the harmful effects of atomic oxygen on materials, the choice of atomic oxygen resistant materials or the use of durable surface coatings is very common. In this study, the corrosion resistance of atomic oxygen of an interconnector part of a solar cell was studied by applying a silicone base coating. In order to investigate the corrosion behavior of atomic oxygen, ground test method with equivalent conditions of LEO orbit was used by DC plasma equipment. Initially, the parameters of the atomic oxygen corrosion ground test were determined under the equivalent conditions of the LEO orbit. The results of atomic oxygen application in this study showed that the amount of atomic oxygen erosion yield of silicon coating is significantly lower than the amount of atomic oxygen erosion yield of silver substrate. Also, the study of the coating surface after applying atomic oxygen by SEM images led to the determination of the optimal coating thickness. EDX results showed that after applying atomic oxygen, no significant change in the chemical composition of the coating was achieved.