Abstract
Thermochromic VO2 coating is currently being developed for smart spacecraft thermal radiator application. Concerning the potential space environmental effects, in this study, coating samples are subjected to exposure to. a ground-based atomic-oxygen flux for the equivalent of six months And three years in a typical low-Earth-orbit environment. Mass loss of the coating samples because of the exposure to atomic oxygen is measured. Characterization of total hemispherical emittance of the coating before and after atomic-oxygen exposure indicates that the atomic-oxygen erosion affects the thermal-optical performance of the coating to some extent. Detailed x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis of the coating samples are performed, and an increase in the oxygen concentration in the outermost layer of the coating because of the atomic-oxygen exposure is identified. A possible mechanism for the change in thermo-optical property of the coating is discussed.