Prospects for applying BaSO4 powders as pigments for spacecraft thermal control coatings

Abstract

The authors carried out a comparative analysis on the diffuse reflectance spectra within 250–2500 nm and on the solar absorptance of BaSO4, ZnO, and TiO2 reflective powders. The authors also considered the powders' change after irradiation with electron fluence of (1 and 3) × 1016cm−2 with 30 keV and recorded the spectra in a vacuum on the spot (in situ). It has been established that BaSO4 powder exceeds ZnO and TiO2 both in its initial optical properties and in its radiation stability. BaSO4 powder can efficiently function as a pigment for spacecraft thermal control coatings. Additionally, the authors performed the solid-state modification of BaSO4 powder with SiO2 and ZrO2 nanoparticles. An increase in the radiation resistance of the modified BaSO4 powder is shown to be 1.65–1.93 times in comparison with the non-modified one.