International. Graphene Flagship researchers and students are preparing for two experiments in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) to test the viability of graphene in space applications.
Both experiments will be launched between November 6 and 17, 2017, testing graphene under zero-gravity conditions to determine its potential in space applications, including light propulsion and thermal management.
In one of the experiments, they are investigating how graphene can improve heat transfer efficiency in heat tube cooling systems widely used in satellites and aerospace instruments.
A significant part of the loop heat pipe is the wick, typically made of porous metal. In this experiment, the wicks will be coated with different types of graphene-related materials to improve the efficiency of the heat pipe.
The coated wicks will be tested on a low-gravity parabolic flight operated by ESA in collaboration with Novespace, France. During each 3-hour flight, the specially modified aircraft will make a series of 30 parabolic ascents with about 25 seconds of weightlessness in each parabola.
"We want to test different types of coatings as graphene and graphene oxide have different properties, but we hope to achieve good results with both coatings," the researchers said.
Source: Graphene Flagship.
