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Plasma-chemical synthesis method of nanostructured materials for space-rocket engineering

G.G.Raykunov, G.N.Zalogin, A.V.Krasilnikov

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One of the most perspective directions for goal technologies realization in space-rocket engineering is nanostructure materials using. In space-rocket engineering the possible applications of nanomaterials and containing such materials coverings are next:

·              reduction of the onboard equipment weight and reduction of power supply at the expense of element base using on the basis of carbon nanomaterials in microelectronics;

·              increase of solar batteries efficiency for the bill improvement of silicon production processes and drawing;

·              expansion of solid fuel burning speed regulation limits and decrease of a specific pulse loss in the combustion chamber of the rocket engine at the expense of application in fuel of nano dispersion metal combustible (aluminum, magnesium, borum, their alloys and updating);

·              increase of the constructional materials durability characteristics by addition carbon nanotubes;

·              improvement of manned space ship life-support systems by filters development with titanium nanodioxed (ТiO2) using for liquids clearing;

·              increase of space ship friction units normal functioning (for example, in devices of solar batteries disclosing), at the expense of the nanomaterials additives in greasing or coverings drawings (switching nanodiamond) on dry friction units;

·              increase  constructional materials heat durability and heat-resistant for the bill by more heat-resistant materials drawing on their surface (such as carbides WC, NiC, MO2C, TaC, SiC, nitride BN or carbon-metal  composites and firm alloys Сu-C, Ni-C, WC-CoC etc.);

·              change of the space vehicles reflecting and absorbing characteristics in UV, IR and radar-tracking ranges of waves lengths by drawing nanomaterials multifunctional coverings.

The development of technologies using nanomaterials restrains because of absence opportunities of their production in enough. Well recommending themselves in laboratory researches the ways of carbon nanostructure production (fullerenes, nanotubes etc.) based on use of an electrical arch and laser evaporation have a lot of lacks and do not give in to scaling on productivity of process. A small temperature way of carbon nanotubes (CNT) production - chemical deposition method from pair based on carbon hydrogen decomposition (for example, acetylene) on catalysts (Ni, Co etc.), requires careful substrates manufacturing with the nanostructured catalyst.

Very promising in this respect is the plasma-chemical method for of nanostructured materials synthesis using the heating and sublimation, or decomposition of precursors in the high-frequency induction plasma gas discharge. The advantages of the proposed method in comparison with the common arc method are:

-         no restrictions on deposited power and the consequent possibility of a substantial increase in productivity;

-         ability to work with the precursors in different states of aggregation (powders, gases, liquids);

-         easy to prepare mixtures of starting materials with catalysts;

-         passage of the nanostructures formation outside the zone of high frequency electromagnetic fields and radiation level influence;

-         the possibility of the main parameters remote diagnostics determining the formation of nanomaterials, in particular, the spectral gas temperature measurements and composition of the mixture (through a window available in the working part of the installation);

-         opportunities to optimize the process by an independent control of pressure, energy input and expenditure ratios plasma gas, carbon-containing substances and catalyst;

-         quasi (outside the discharge zone) and the laminar flow, which makes it possible reliably to calculate parameters of the gas with the vapor source material at all stages of the movement, including the boundary layer on the cooling water soot trap;

-         the possibility of flow forming using various additional devices (nozzles) and by changing the geometrical parameters (in particular, the distance from the inductor to soot trap). This allows to get in the plasma flow containing a pair of carbon and a catalyst of sufficient length with a high vapors concentration and optimal values of temperature and pressure for the nanostructures formation.

Compared to electro arc plasmatrons which are also used in plasma chemical processes, but in the workflow where there are impurities erosion products of the electrodes (copper or tungsten), HF-plasmatrons can obtain chemically pure plasma flows and high-purity nanomaterials synthesis.

Key challenges in development of the most promising nanotechnology, using the approach bottom-up-assembly of nanomaterials at the atomic or molecular level (fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, nanopowders,etc.), are next: determine the most optimal in performance terms and energy cost of initial material transfer in an atomic or molecular state; establish a condensation and trapping process of the resulting product from vapor.

Research to test the methods of nanomaterials obtaining and nano plasma enhanced deposition method is carried out using both experimental techniques and methods of mathematical modeling and optimization of nanomaterials formation processes.

The principle of plants with high frequency gas heating based on the known physical phenomenon of heat conductive medium electric current induced in them by alternating electromagnetic field. In HF-plasmatrons such a heated conductive medium is an ionized gas. An alternating electromagnetic field is created inside the inductor, under the influence of this field free electrons available in the gas is accelerating. Acquired by an electron energy is large enough, part of this energy is transferred to molecules in collisions, causing the heating of the gas. In this regard, in the zone of discharge there is a considerable difference in temperature of electrons and heavy particles. As the distance from the inductor and increasing the pressure, this difference decreases. High temperature gas T ~ 10000 K can disperse up to the atomic state, even the most refractory material. A more detailed description of the flow in the RF plasma torch can be obtained by simultaneous solution of equations of gas dynamics, taking into account the real gas properties and the Maxwell equations.

The experimental and theoretical study of the nanomaterials synthesis by plasma chemical method in plasma flow generated in the HF plasmatron showed that:

-         use of high-frequency plasmatrons in nanotechnology to produce nanomaterials and coatings is a very promising area of research;

-         power density (specific heat flow) is supplied to the powder particles in the plasma flow can be up to 20 MW/m2 and more that can vaporize carbon particles, and the most high melting metals, alloys, ceramics, etc.;

-         the effectiveness of the carbon particles sublimation process increases with increasing input energy (plasma temperature), gas pressure, using the plasma-forming gases with lower molecular weight and with particle size powder decreasing;

-         flow near carbon particles with a diameter less than 30 microns is the free molecule;

-         collisions of carbon particles or other material between them can be neglected;

-         carbon particles or other substances processed at a time heated evenly, the amount of radiation energy absorbed by the particles is small compared with the radiated one  and the integral emissive of the material has little effect on the particles temperature;

-         carbon flux of molecules incident on the carbon particle from the gas phase is small compared with the flow of sublimated carbon molecules.

The use of plasma-chemical nanomaterials production method and the use devices with high-frequency plasmatron of high power for its implementation will allow to develop a competitive industrial scalable technology to meet the increasing nanomaterials demand. The universality of the plasma method of materials dispersing enables the use of the installation of such type as to produce various nanomaterials and coatings.

Gennadiy Gennadyevich Raykunov, General Director (Central Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering - "TsNIImash"); graduated from Volgograd Polytechnic Institute (1975); Doctor of technical sciences, Professor, Academician, Vice-President of K.E.Tsiolkovskiy Russian Academy of Cosmonautics (TRAC), Head of "Space Mechanical Engineering and Design of Space Systems" section and "Space Mechanical Engineering and Design of Automatic Space Vehicles" department of TRAC, the first Vice-President of Moscow regional TRAC department, Honoured mechanical engineer of the Russian Federation, Honoured tester in space engineering.

G.G.Raikunov is a famous scientist in the fields of system analysis, space and rocket systems of special purpose, ballistic support of flights, design, construction and experimental testing of rocket-and-space systems, complexes and facilities of civil and strategic purposes. He has developed a new scientific direction based on the system approach to complex application of aerospace, geophysical and geological information to solution of natural resource problems. Scientific results of his works have been published in 118 scientific papers, reported at 21 conferences and stated in more than 250 scientific reports.

Georgiy Nikolaevich Zalogin, Chief scientific associate ("TsNIImash"), graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (1963, engineer in physics); Doctor of technical sciences, Laureate of the National Prize of USSR in science and engineering (1998); Corresponding Member of K.E.Tsiolkovskiy Russian Academy of Cosmonautics.

He participated directly in tryout of a large number of space engineering products. During "Buran" project he conducted extensive experimental research in HF plasmatron. Since 2003 in the framework of "TsNIImash" innovative projects he has been participating in the works on application of space experimental facilities to tryout of industrial production of nanostructured materials with the production of carbon nanotubes in high-frequency induction plasmatron. He is the author of a patent "Setup for fullerene-containing soot" with priority from 27 January 2004.

He has published 131 papers (3 monographs, 124 journal articles and papers in conference transactions, 3 invention applications, and 1 patent).

Arthur Vladimirovich Krasilnikov, Chief scientific associate ("TsNIImash"), graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (1965, department of aerophysics and applied mathematics, specialized in flying vehicles); Doctor of technical sciences, member of Scientific Councils of "TsNIImash" and Joint Institute of High Temperatures of RAS, Academician of K.E.Tsiolkovskiy Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, Fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Laureate of N.E.Zhukovskiy Prize, S.P.Korolev medal and Yu.A.Gagarin medal. Participated directly in theoretical and experimental studies, design, production and implementation of "TsNIImash" experimental base, with support of a large number of experiments conducted on different aerodynamic plants, plasmatrons and shock tubes. He has published 103 papers, including 7 monographs and 5 invention certificates.



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