Aluminized Teflon™ Film
Since 1985 Dunmore Aerospace has been providing material solutions for the space industry. Our aluminized FEP film is used in low to moderate temperature MLI blanket applications, Flexible Optical Solar Reflectors (FOSR), and thermal radiators. Teflon™ film is well known for its chemical resistance and ability to be optically clear, allowing for superior performance when used in second surface mirror applications. The interior surface of the FEP film is coated with aluminum, creating a second surface mirror.
The solar absorptance (α) is set by the aluminum coating and the IR emissivity (ɛ) is dictated by the thickness of the Teflon™ film. This provides a thermal performance α/ ɛ that compares with glass second surface mirrors or optical solar reflectors. Aluminized FEP film offers comparable thermal optical properties to silver Teflon™ film, but at a much lower cost.
Reasons to Choose Aluminized Teflon™ Film
As an alternative to silver Teflon™ film, aluminized Teflon™ film offers identical chemical resistance and outgassing properties as with slightly warmer sink temperatures. Engineered for low solar absorptance and high IR emittance, aluminized FEP film is used for applications that require low sink temperatures like radiator surfaces and the exterior layer of MLI blankets. When bonded to radiator surfaces aluminum coated FEP film can achieve similar thermal optical properties to rigid optical solar reflectors while being able to conform to complex three-dimensional surfaces.
In geometrically complex spacecraft applications where radiator and MLI surfaces have view factors to each other, low IR emissivity coatings combined with low α / ɛ ratios become critical to rejecting excess heat to space without nearby surfaces absorbing that heat. Second surface films like aluminum Teflon™ film excel in these environments to reject excess spacecraft heat without over-radiating nearby components.
Material Properties
- Typical outside surface α / ϵ values: 0.19 to 0.23
- Operating Temperature: -185°C to 125°C
- Thickness range: 50 - 250 μm
Aluminized Teflon™ Film Applications
Satellite MLI, Credit: NASA
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