Research on experimental method of carbon nanotubes space environment effect

Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering, Beijing, China

^* Corresponding author: li-man8319@163.com

Abstract

Due to its unique structure and superior performance, carbon nanotubes are proposed to have great potential applications in many fields. Recently, more and more concerns have been focused on the application of carbon nanotubes in space technology. It is believed that carbon nanotubes can have a broad impact on space missions in future with benefits principally in space technology, such as lightweight structure materials, environment protection materials, energy gerneration and storage and nanoelcetronics. However, carbon nanotubes would suffer chemical and physical damage from the space environment when it was used in spacecraft, just like all the other space materials. The environment where spacecrafts operate is extremely intricate, primarily represented by electromagnetic irradiation, charged particle irradiation, high vacuum, cold and hot alternation, atomic oxygen erosion, clash from space debris, and other factors. The mostly effect in space environment is atomic oxygen and debris for grapheme. This paper is about the research on the experimental methods of carbon nanotubes space environment effect with atomic oxygen and space debris as examples, in a bid to propose the experimental scheme of carbon nanotubes space environment effect. It will be great helpful to promote the applications of carbon nanotubes in space technology.