Space radiation can damage satellites. My team discovered that a new-generation material can self-repair when exposed to cosmic rays.

The space environment is harsh and subject to extreme radiation. Scientists who design spacecraft and satellites need materials that can withstand these conditions.

In a article published in January 2024, my crew Materials researchers have demonstrated that a next generation semiconductor material called metal halide perovskite can actually recover and heal itself from radiation damage.

Metal halide perovskites are a class of materials discovered in 1839 which are found abundantly in the Earth’s crust. They absorb sunlight and efficiently convert it into electricity, making them a potentially attractive choice for Space solar panels which can power satellites or future space habitats.

Researchers make perovskites in the form inksthen apply the inks to glass or plastic plates, creating thin, film-like devices that are lightweight and flexible.

Surprisingly, these thin film solar cells perform as well as conventional silicon solar cells in laboratory demonstrations, even though they are almost 100 times thinner than traditional solar cells.

Related: Space solar power could be one step closer to reality thanks to this key test (video)

But these films can degrade if exposed to humidity or oxygenResearchers and industry are currently working to address these stability issues to land deployment.

The mysterious rays that are launched at us from space – YouTube

To watch

To test how they could resist spaceMy team developed a radiation experiment. We exposed perovskite solar cells to low and high energy protons and I found a new unique property.

High energy protons The damage caused by the low-energy protons was repaired, allowing the device to recover and continue doing its job. Conventional semiconductors used for space electronics do not have this repair.

My team was surprised by this discovery. How can a material that degrades when exposed to oxygen and moisture not only withstand the intense radiation of space, but also self-repair in an environment that destroys conventional silicon semiconductors?

In our article we began to unravel this mystery.

Why is this important?

Scientists predict that within the next 10 years, satellites will be launched to regions near Earth.Earth orbit will increase exponentiallyand space agencies such as NASA to aim establish bases on the Moon.

Materials that can tolerate extreme radiation and self-repair would be game-changing.

Researchers estimate Deploying a few kilograms of perovskite materials in space could generate up to 10,000,000 watts of power. The current cost is about $4,000 per kilogram ($1,818 per pound). to launch materials into spaceefficient materials are therefore important.

What is still not known

Our results highlight a remarkable aspect of perovskites: their tolerance to damage and defects. Perovskite crystals are a type of soft materialwhich means that their atoms can transition into different states that scientists call vibrational modes.

The atoms in perovskites are normally arranged in a lattice. But radiation can move the atoms around and damage the material. Vibrations could help reposition the atoms, but we don’t yet know exactly how this process works.

And after?

Our results suggest that soft materials could be particularly useful in extreme environments, including space.

But radiation isn’t the only stress materials face in space. Scientists don’t yet know how perovskites will behave when exposed to both vacuum conditions and extreme temperature swings, as well as radiation. Temperature could play a role in the healing behavior my team observed, but we’ll need to do more research to figure out how.

These results indicate that soft materials could help scientists develop technology that works well in extreme environments. Future research could delve deeper into how vibrations in these materials are linked to their self-healing properties.

THE Research note is a brief overview of an interesting academic work.