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Abstract
With the recent advances in Space science research and Aerospace research, we
are in dire need for materials which can retain their strength even in high heat
situations. These materials should be able to protect the enclosed component from
heat due to solar irradiation, friction, heat due to propulsion, etc.
Such a material is currently undergoing research at the ‘University of Nottingham’,
where a paper titled “Temperature - dependent polymer absorber as a switchable
state NIR reactor” was published. This material can ‘cool itself down’ if the
temperature goes beyond a critical value. The design is inspired by the temperature
control mechanism of a leaf. This method of Bio -Inspired engineering has lead to
many developments in fields of research and engineering. In this report we will
discuss the working aspects of these polymers.
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1. Introduction:

Systems of any kind typically operate best within a fairly narrow temperature range,
whether it’s an engine, a phone battery, or the human body. The flora and fauna of
the world have had the advantage of millennia to develop their techniques for
keeping themselves from getting too hot or too cold. But, unlike a hypersonic jet or a
satellite, they don’t have to endure radical changes in temperature

The selection of engineering materials is based on many factors, which a design

engineer has to consider before selecting a material for a particular application. The
factors depend on the working condition, i.e, the stress that is to be endured, heat
generated, wear and tear of the material, ease of handling, chemical properties, cost,
etc. The engineer compares various materials and chooses the optimal material,
which fulfills the purpose for which it is used. Such an important factor is heat.

Heat is generated in most of the mechanical operations, such as running a heat

engine, refrigeration, machining of components, etc. Most of the materials when
exposed to very high heat generally lose their mechanical properties, become weak
and deform under low stresses. For example carbon steel tools cannot perform
machining at higher speeds due to high amount of heat generated. Instead of carbon
steel, HSS is used, which is more capable of machining at high speeds. At very high
speed and while machining hard materials, carbide or ceramic insert are used.
Another thing to be considered is the thermal stresses developed and thermal
expansion, which most of the metals are prone to. And metals are costly to
manufacture and they are very much susceptible to chemical changes. So for
various engineering applications polymers are being prefered.

Material for high temperature application has be to carefully selected and should
combined good mechanical properties, creep resistance and corrosion resistance.

The Space Shuttle thermal protection system (TPS) is the barrier that protected the
Space Shuttle Orbiter during the searing 1,650 °C heat of atmospheric reentry. A
secondary goal was to protect from the heat and cold of space while in orbit. The
satellites in space have a temperature fluctuations from -125˚C ​to 300˚C​. ​Thus we
need a material which can sustain these extreme temperatures.

Researchers have developed a composite material that can cool itself down when it
gets too hot, making it a good candidate for applications that require materials to
withstand extreme temperatures.
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A team led by Mark Alston, assistant professor of environmental design from the
Faculty of Engineering at Nottingham University, designed the bio-inspired material,
which has a leaf-like structure. It can be used in a range of applications from treating
burns to aerospace development. The work demonstrated a system that captured
and distributed thermal flow as the human body does every day to regulate its own
temperature

With the sun on one side and a vacuum on the other, satellites use complicated
systems with multiple layers of insulation to stay at operational temperatures. That
means they’re heavy, which, in space, means expensive. Alston’s system would be
lighter and could provide the option of producing energy, as the hot water may be
used for many purposes.

​ Image 1. Satellite in orbit

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2. Literature survey:

For high heat resistivity, the following parameters are looked into:
1. The most important properties of a new material which will be used in space
are strength and stiffness. When an object is in orbit around the Earth it will be
subjected to incredible forces that will tear apart weaker structures.
2. Must be able to withstand high heat and retain the strength at high
temperatures.
3. Able to withstand extreme temperature fluctuations, and thermal expansion
coefficient must be low.
4. The material must be lightweight, easy to manufacture and economical

Keeping these points in mind, currently the following materials are in use in satellites.

1. Beryllium- This is a light, strong metal sometimes used in spacecraft

structures, especially when heat needs to be dissipated, such as
radio frequency power amplifiers. It is not used much in ordinary
construction because of its high cost and toxicity.
2. Teflon- Spacecraft wiring is very frequently insulated with Teflon
because of its resistance to fire, heat and mechanical abrasion. On
the ground, Teflon is widely used to insulate “plenum-rated” building
cables that must withstand a fire without producing toxic gases.
Ordinary wire insulation is usually PVC because it is far cheaper.
3. Kapton- This is an orange-colored plastic widely used as sheets, in
adhesive tapes and sometimes as cable wraps because of its ability
to handle exceptionally wide temperature ranges. The “gold foils”
covering many spacecraft are actually sheets of Kapton with a very
thin layer of aluminum vapor-deposited on the other side. Along with
the less-expensive aluminum-coated Mylar (polyester) it is very
commonly used for spacecraft thermal control.
4. Titanium- This is a metal with roughly the strength of steel and the
weight of aluminum. Titanium minerals are fairly abundant in the
earth’s crust but the metal is expensive to refine and especially to
fabricate, so it is only used when necessary, e.g, for pressure
vessels.
5. Ceramics- Many early integrated circuits used ceramic packaging,
but epoxy plastic replaced it for most applications because of its
much lower cost. Ceramic IC packaging is still common in spacecraft
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electronics because of its much greater heat conductivity — the same

reason that many microprocessor CPUs still use it.

6. Gallium arsenide- This is the semiconductor of choice for space-rated

PV cells because of its higher conversion efficiencies; many are in
the 30% range, vs half that for less expensive terrestrial PV cells
made with silicon.
7. Kevlar​- ​One of the materials that often is able to fit the bill is Kevlar.
Kevlar, a material used in bulletproof vests and armour, is an
incredibly lightweight and strong material making it perfect for space
travel.
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2.1 What are polymers?

Polymer is a large molecule, or macromolecule, composed of many repeated
subunits and ​refers to a molecule whose structure is composed of multiple repeating
units, from which originates a characteristic of high relative molecular mass and
attendant properties
Polymers abound in nature. The ultimate natural polymers are the deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) that define life. Spider silk, hair, and horn are
protein polymers. Starch can be a polymer as is cellulose in wood. Rubber tree latex
and cellulose have been used as raw material to make manufactured polymeric
rubber and plastics. The first synthetic manufactured plastic was Bakelite, created in
1909 for telephone casing and electrical components. The first manufactured
polymeric fiber was Rayon, from cellulose, in 1910. Nylon was invented in 1935
while pursuing a synthetic spider silk.

Polymer properties​ :
● Polymers can be very resistant to chemicals
● Polymers can be both thermal and electrical insulators.
● Generally, polymers are very light in weight with significant degrees of
strength.
● Polymers can be processed in various ways.
● Polymers are materials with a seemingly limitless range of characteristics and
colors.
● Polymers are usually made of petroleum, but not always.
● Polymers can be used to make items that have no alternatives from other
materials.

High performance plastics typically have a permanent operating temperature of more

than 150°C. It is this material class that brings the superior properties of polymers -
such as sliding friction characteristics, weight saving and chemical resistance - to
bear, especially, a high permanent operating temperatures. Using special reinforcing
materials such as glass fibre, glass beads or carbon fibre, heat distortion resistance
and rigidity can be increased even further. Additives such as PTFE, graphite and
aramid fibres considerably improve the sliding friction characteristics, and the
addition of metal fibres and carbon black provide improved electrical conductivity.
Heat resistant plastic materials are constantly being developed, and becoming more
common both in traditional and in high end industrial applications to improve
performance and durability.
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Common understanding may be that plastics are not normally considered as heat
resistant materials. However, the truth is that there are whole families of high
performance polymers which may be used at permanent service temperatures of
more than 150°C up to over 300°C depending on the operating conditions.

These materials, characterised by elevated glass transition and melting

temperatures, are the best candidates when it comes to metal replacement as
polymers provide the added value of superior properties such as sliding friction
characteristics, weight saving, and chemical resistance. These advantages can be
maintained, even at high permanent operating temperatures. High temperature
polymers are commercially available both as unmodified heat resistant materials and
as modified high performance thermoplastics.

By adding reinforcements, such as glass or carbon fibers, stiffness and heat

distortion temperature can be improved, along with the additional benefit of
dimensional stability. This is possible thanks to lower thermal expansion rates that
can get close to values typical of some metal alloys. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic is
currently the most interesting solution when operating conditions require extreme
stiffness and mechanical properties with the lowest weight possible, for instance, in
aerospace or automotive applications.

For applications that require abrasion resistance, wear or a low friction coefficient,
these engineering plastics offer superior performance when compounded with
lubricants such as PTFE and graphite. Moreover, the intrinsically good electrical
insulating characteristics of these thermoplastics can be modified to achieve static
dissipative or electrically conductive qualities.
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3. Temperature Dependant polymer absorber

A researcher at the University of Nottingham has created a self-regulating polymer
composite that borrows from nature’s bag of tricks to keep our man made creations
just right amidst the wildest temperature swings.

The inspiration behind the design of the polymer is the structure of a leaf. This
comes under the newly developed category of “Bio-inspired” engineering, which
basically studies the nature’s systems and implement them into man-made objects.
Natural systems have the capability of adjusting their conditions according to the
outside stimulus provided, which proves to be advantageous.

The idea behind this bio-inspired engineering is to give engineering system the
ability to adapt according to the surface condition.

The human body responds to changes in air temperature and modifies the body in
relationship to the activity, whether we are sitting, running, or eating. It’s very simple
but incredibly complex to apply it towards materials.

If we talk about heat, One of the body’s methods for handling heat can be found in
our cardiovascular system—our veins expand and contact depending on our actions,
a very difficult thing to achieve from an engineering perspective.

Now let’s take an example of another veined structure- a plant’s leaf. The capillaries
within a leaf don’t change volume. Instead, their size and layout changes according
to the leaf’s surface geometry. To keep from drying out, the fluids circulate at a very
low pressure drop, and a flow within that network that is uniform throughout the
geometry.

The temperature dependant polymer absorber is based on leaf structure. To imitate

this evolution-engineered strategy, polymer system uses a tiny amount of distilled
water inside microchannels within the polymer. Sensors within will measure
temperature and switch the fluid to a high or low conductivity as the environment
changes. As the polymer builds up heat, the water heats up as well and begins to
move out of the polymer. If there’s a lot of energy going into that material, the
capillary flow through the network of microchannels would have to change in
response to thermal load.

A higher load requires greater thermal transfer to regulate that load

Leaves are capable of smoothly transitioning temperature regulation at a low

pressure drop thanks to the laminar flow of the fluids in its channels. Similarly, this
system requires little energy. If we are able to control the pressure drop in these
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microchannels, then we are able to do this process at a very low power requirement.
The key to achieving this is laminar flow in the microchannels.

The system will have the most use where there are no leaves: in orbit. With the sun
on one side and a vacuum on the other, satellites use complicated systems with
multiple layers of insulation to stay at operational temperatures. That means they’re
heavy, which, in space, means expensive.This system would be lighter and could
provide the option of producing energy.
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3.1 Construction and Working

Key to the work is a system that uses fluidics in the form of multiple microchannels
with active-flowing fluids to develop a thermally functional material made of a
synthetic polymer. Historically, it has been tricky to develop materials that can
withstand high temperatures caused by solar radiation. The research used a network
of multiple microchannels with active flowing fluids (fluidics) as a method and proof
of concept to develop a thermally-functional material made of a synthetic polymer.

The material is enhanced with precise control measures that can switch conductive
states to manage its own temperature in relationship to its environment.

Two plates of PMMA 5mm thick were cut to a dimensional size of 158 width and
length 220mm. One plate was inscribed through laser application to fabricate a
geometry arrangement of multi microchannels. These channels formed the
volumetric areas for water flow contained within the depth of the plate. This geometry
formation plate was resin bonded to the remaining counter pane to assemble the
device. Circulating fluidic input and extract to manifold channels was monitored by
thermocouples. To assess heating of the fluid by absorption to assess delta t
.Sensors monitored air temperature place above and below the device and
volumetric flow was regulated by a syringe pump for fluid management. Time frame
duration was 50 minutes due to the capacity of the tanks.
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The microfluidic device was subjected to a uniform solar radiation load. With a solar
absorption rate of 100 W/ m2 was observed. Effects of this absorption rate gave heat
transport flow across the interface between PMMA and fluid. Absorption will lead to
heating of the absorber, especially in optic materials with good thermal insulation
properties. Solar heating will increase the thermal stresses induced into the
absorber. Reducing the heat load in the absorber layer is desirable. A microfluidic
platform is a thermal transfer solution to this problem through a multi microchannel
network with optimized hydrodynamics is presented.

By longitudinal channels at unified extensional flow, generated in the microfluidic

network. The fluid is a heat sink and hence selection is determined by high heat
capacity, distilled water in this case. By changing the flow rate, we change the
material temperature of the fluid it is in contact with through heat transfer. High
thermal conductivity of PMMA is desirable for high heat transfer to microchannel
volume filled networks. In acting as an IR high absorbing layer. The thermal
properties of the experimental system monitored water temperature increase of the
fluidic input and extract temperature to observe water-heating power, to evaluate
heat flow by delta t. By modulating volumetric flow rates in the device we can
manipulate the thermal flow across the interface of material layers for lateral heat
transfer. Knowing observed temperature difference delta t with time enables active
management of energy capture through water flow rate

Thus, solar radiation can be reduced through absorption, like a sponge in water,
absorbing it. Absorbing high solar radiation induces thermal stresses that lead to
fractures. Researchers solved the problem by introducing a fluid into a material to
absorb this thermal energy, allowing them to control how the material will behave
and avoid thermal stresses, this involves an active supply management of a fluid that
flows smoothly, within and out of a material, through a re-circulation network—or an
energy system—to manage material temperatures.

The material is enhanced with precise control measures that can switch conductive
states to manage its own temperature in relationship to its environment. As a bonus,
the thermal energy from the re-circulated fluid system can be stored in a reservoir
tank—something that could come in handy if the material is used in space
exploration.
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4.CFD simulation for various flow rates:

The velocity gradient at two different flow rates was simulated in CFD package. The
results are displayed below.

The results indicate even at a flow rate of 90 ml/min, the distribution of the flow
between the longitudinal channels remains almost uniform  

Image 2.CFD simulations for 9ml/min Image 3.CFD simulation for 90ml/min
flow rate flow rate

 
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Laminar flow result in friction free flow of the liquid inside the micro channel, and also
gives better surface to surface heat transfer coefficient. Thus we can increase the
speed upto 90 ml/min without any complications.

 
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5.Conclusion :
This material, which is inspired by biological system, is certainly a look into the
future. This research is basically making the material, or the surface covered by the
material “intelligent”, by giving it the capability to adapt according to the surface
conditions applied. When the heat is low, the water in the microchannels is still and
the heat is carried away by conduction. When the heat increases, the flow of water
also increases and the heat is carried away by convection as well as conduction.

This system is right now being researched for absorbing near IR spectrum of solar
irradiation, which contributes to most of the heat generation. In principle, filtering out
this part of the solar irradiation spectrum can be achieved by selective fluidic
absorption. In this case, distilled water was used.

This type of system can give high solar heat absorption while having very low
material thickness as well as weight. The ongoing research Is being conducted at
University of Nottingham, where the testing for maximizing strength and increasing
heat carrying capacity is being carried out.

These materials which practically act as if a device, are the future in material
science.

The study will also give boost to the study of engineering systems inspired by the
Nature.
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6.References:
1) ‘Temperature - dependent polymer absorber as a switchable state NIR
reactor’
2) Polymer Composite Can Regulate Its Own Temperature - www.asme.org
3) Bio-Inspired Material Keeps Cool at High Temperatures -
www.designnews.com
4) The Materials Used in Artificial Satellites and Space Structures -
www.azom.com
5) Polymers - ​www.wikipedia.com