Article contents
Nanophotonic materials for space applications
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 September 2020
Abstract
Space exemplifies the ultimate test-bed environment for any materials technology. The harsh conditions of space, with extreme temperature changes, lack of gravity and atmosphere, intense solar and cosmic radiation, and mechanical stresses of launch and deployment, represent a multifaceted set of challenges. The materials we engineer must not only meet these challenges, but they need to do so while keeping overall mass to a minimum and guaranteeing performance over long periods of time with no opportunity for repair. Nanophotonic materials—materials that embody structural variations on a scale comparable to the wavelength of light—offer opportunities for addressing some of these difficulties. Here, we examine how advances in nanophotonics and nanofabrication are enabling ultrathin and lightweight structures with unparalleled ability to shape light–matter interactions over a broad electromagnetic spectrum. From solar panels that can be fabricated in space to applications of light for propulsion, the next generation of lightweight and multifunctional photonic materials stands to both impact existing technologies and pave the way for new space technologies.
- Type
- Technical Feature
- Information
- MRS Bulletin , Volume 45 , Issue 9: Liquid Phase Electron Microscopy , September 2020 , pp. 769 - 778
- Copyright
- Copyright © Materials Research Society 2020
Footnotes
This article is an invited contribution from the MRS Bulletin Postdoctoral Publication Prize given to Ognjen Ilic, University of Minnesota, at the 2019 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston, Mass.
References
- 8
- Cited by