Study on adaptive infrared camouflage of novel positive temperature coefficient (PTC) materials in space

Abstract

In order to protect important military targets from the threat of advanced infrared detection systems and guided weapons, the development of adaptive infrared decoy technology has become a top priority. In this paper, the feasibility of applying PTC material to infrared camouflage of decoy was discussed for the first time. Meanwhile, a design method for performance parameters of PTC materials that satisfy the infrared camouflage was proposed with consideration given to the complex background environment in which the space decoy was located. Taking this as a guide, the room temperature PTC materials that attain the design requirements were prepared. In this paper, the phase change characteristics of the material and the change of thermal conductivity with temperature were considered, and the heat transfer model of the PTC material was further optimized, which was verified by experiments in a vacuum environment. On this basis, the infrared camouflage properties of space decoy based on thermal control of PTC materials were further simulated. The results show that the PTC resistor prepared under the guidance of this design method can achieve a more ideal infrared camouflage effect and higher adaptive temperature control precision than ordinary resistors when applied to space decoy. The research results specify possible directions for the development and thermal control of PTC material.