SMART-FLEX (EC H2020)
Project acronym: SMART-FLEX
Project full title: SMART and FLEXible Optical Solar Reflectors
Funding: the project is financially supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program
Area: Space Technologies
- Topic
- Materials for the thermal control of spacecrafts.
- Objectives
- Development of a new class of flexible Optical Solar Reflectors with tenperature variable emissivity: high emissivity at high temperature as in the case of traditional OSRs, but here matched to low emissivity at low temperature, to avoid heat losses when the satellite is eclypse or safe mode.
- Role of CREO
- Technical Coordinator and main provider of thin film technology.
- Solution / Technology
- The proposed solution is a metamaterial coating with an architecture similar to META-REFLECTOR (of which SMART-FLEX is a follow up). In this case however the nanoantennas are made of Tungsten-doped Vanadium Dioxide, to switch emissivity from high to low whent the temperature drops below 25°C. All the layers are deposite by sputtering. The thermochromic layer is patterned by Nano Imprint Lithography. The pattern is topped by a Low Emissivity Solar Reflector to reduce Solar Absorbance.
Web site: SMART-FLEX H2020 Project
Additional Material