Silver Teflon™ Film

Silver coated Teflon™ film is used in low to moderate temperature MLI blanket applications, Flexible Optical Solar Reflectors (FOSR) and thermal radiators. FEP film is well known for its chemical resistance and ability to be optically clear, allowing for superior performance when used in a second surface mirror applications. The interior surface of the FEP film is coated with silver, creating a second surface mirror.

The solar absorptance (α) is set by the silver and the IR emissivity (ɛ) is set by the Teflon™ film. The result is a thermal performance α/ ɛ that compares with glass second surface mirrors or optical solar reflectors. The silver coating is protected by a layer of Inconel to prevent it from oxidizing in the terrestrial atmosphere or the low earth orbit environment.

Reasons to Choose Silver FEP Film

The combination of low solar absorptance and low infrared (IR) emissivity combine to result in low sink temperatures. Given silver coated Teflon™ film is engineered for low solar absorptance, it is typically used as an outer layer for Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) blankets on surfaces where solar-like heat loads need to be mitigated. Oftentimes silver Teflon™ film is directly exposed to the sun, but can also be effective at reducing radiative heat absorbed from reflected solar heat from near-by surfaces or planetary bodies. Similarly, low IR emissivity properties makes the use of silver FEP film beneficial in applications that require low temperatures while in environments dominated by high IR heat loads or view factors like the International Space Station or equatorial Lunar surface.

In addition to superior thermal performance, silver Teflon™ film benefits from the inherent chemical inertness of Fluorinated ethylene propylene as a low outgassing surface that reacts little with the space environment. This property of Teflon™ film can make it particularly beneficial in high dust environments like Lunar, Martian, or asteroid surfaces where dust adherence would cause a degradation of thermal properties or pose contamination concerns.

Material Properties

• Typical outside surface α / ϵ values: 0.13 to 0.16
• Operating Temperature: -185°C to 125°C
• Thickness range: 50 - 250 μm

Silver Teflon™ Film Applications

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