Speaker
Description
In Low Earth Orbit (LEO), some dangers spacecraft electronics are subjected to are high energy protons [1]. Their energies range from a few MeV to GeV [2]. The current shielding employed by spacecraft (consisting mainly of satellites) is insufficient in protecting internal electronics [3]. In the past, and still, an extensively researched avenue is to employ polymers and composites as a radiation shielding mechanism [4]. This is due to their desirable lightweight and excellent mechanical properties [4]. One such polymer meeting this criterion is Poly(2,5)benzimidazole (ABPBI) [5] and ABPBI with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) enhancement. Its interactions with energetic protons were investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) [6]. The mean square displacement (MSD) and radial distribution function (RDF) [7] reported in this work aid in seeing how these interactions change due to different weight percentages (1%, 3%, and 5% load of MWCNT). A Perl script was implemented to quantify and monitor variations in the paths available in the samples for proton hopping. These methods help indicate the most likely path the energetic proton moved through [7]. This investigation considers the efficacy of using ABPBI, and its composites, as a proton shielding material for LEO spacecraft applications and further considers changes due to adding carbon nanotubes.
References
[1] M. Durante and F.A. Cucinotta. Physical basis of radiation protection in space travel. Reviews of Modern Physics, 83(4), 2011.
[2] Ritabrata Sarkar and Abhijit Roy. Monte Carlo simulation of CRAND protons trapped at low Earth orbits. Advances in Space Research, 69(1):197–208, 2022.
[3] Hamideh Daneshvar, Kavoos Ghordoei Milan, Ali Sadr, Seyed Hassan Sedighy, Shahryar Malekie, and Armin Mosayebi. Multilayer radiation shield for satellite electronic components protection. Scientific Reports, 11(1):1–12, 2021.
[4] E Grossman and I Gouzman. Space environment effects on polymers in low earth orbit. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 208:48–57, 2003.
[5] S. Bhowmik and R. Benedictus. Performance of Space Durable Polymeric Nano Composite under Electromagnetic Radiation at Low Earth Orbit. 2007 IEEE Applied Electromagnetics Conference (AEMC), Applied Electromagnetics Conference, 2007. AEMC 2007. IEEE, pages 1–4, 2007.
[6] Dennis C Rapaport and Dennis C Rapaport Rapaport. The Art of Molecular Dynamics Simulation. Cambridge university press, 2004.
[7] Huang Yu-Ren, Chien Chung-Te Chang, and Chen Cheng-Lung. A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Based Investigation of the Proton Conductivity of Anhydrous Pyrazole Doped Poly(Vinylphosphonic Acid) Composite System. Polymers, 12(2906):2906, 2020.
Level for award;(Hons, MSc, PhD, N/A)?
MSc
| Apply to be considered for a student ; award (Yes / No)? | Yes |
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