Research on the preparation and performance of anti-dust self-cleaning film on Mars dusty environment

Abstract

Equipment such as the Mars rover whose energy absorption conversion function of the power supply system can reduce or even get completely lost in a dusty environment is always affected by the adhesion of dust particles. The antidust self-cleaning film is an effective method to reduce the deposition of dust and ensure the operational performance of the equipment. In this study, perfluorocarbon (PFC) film can be used as a potential self-cleaning film because of its excellent properties such as stability and low surface energy and was prepared using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The dust removal efficiency of the PFC film-coated sample and the bare glass substrate sample was measured and calculated by three different masses of the dust vertical free-fall approach. The results demonstrated that, by comparison, the self-cleaning film exhibited excellent dust removal performance. Specifically, for the PFC film, the dust removal efficiency was 88.86%, 92.80%, and 98.11%, and optical transmittance was about 92%; these values are better than that of the glass substrate. Moreover, the dust adhesion and resistance mechanism was explored and analyzed, which indicated that decreasing the surface roughness and surface energy can effectively reduce the adhesion of the dust on the sample surface. The results will be of major theoretical significance and practical engineering value for long-term service in power systems that are placed in a dusty environment.