The effects of ionizing radiation, temperature, and space contamination effects on self-cleaning and anti-contamination coatings

A revolutionary family of cost-effective, lightweight, self-cleaning and anti-contamination coatings is being investigated to mitigate lunar dust on critical power and optical systems, including solar photovoltaic power systems, radiators, and other components needed for lunar exploration as well as optical instruments and sensors. Dust contamination is a serious problem for equipment and vehicles since Lunar "weathering" has left the lunar soil has fine texture compared to terrestrial dust particle size distributions. The electrostatic charging of the lunar surface is caused by its interaction with the local plasma environment and solar UV and X-rays induced photoemission of electrons. The lunar thermal environment poses unique challenges to coatings since it is characterized by large temperature variations, long hot and cold soak times, and reduced heat rejection capability due to the presence of the lunar regolith. We are attempting to design an integrated approach to solving the dust problems associated with its many elements This presentation will discuss the properties, as a function of ionizing radiation, temperature and space contamination effects, for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic coating self-cleaning approaches as well as a new approach which incorporates various catalytic mechanisms (stoichiometric, photocatalytic and electrocatalytic) for decontamination in the lunar environment.