Dual mode shielding against space radiation using superconductive enhanced composites [AEGIS - Advanced Exploration Guard In Space]

最近太空技术的进步使人类离实现其最雄心勃勃的目标之一——载人太空探索——更近了一步。尽管取得了这一可喜的进展，但减轻空间辐射对健康构成的威胁的挑战仍然存在（Durante等人，2008年）。因此，在地球磁场之外，确保从事地外活动的人类和电子设备的安全一直是一个引人注目的研究领域。该项目满足了对创新材料的迫切需求，以便在地外活动期间有效保护人类健康和基本设备，标志着实现载人空间探索计划的关键一步。在太空中遇到的电离辐射范围很广，包括太阳粒子事件（spe）和来自太阳和太阳系外的银河宇宙射线（GCRs）。这两种辐射源表现出不同的能谱和辐射成分，需要单独考虑。SPE的特点是低能（1-100兆电子伏特）粒子的突然和极强烈的爆发，主要是质子和少量α粒子（氦离子）的存在。另一方面，gcr由能量在1 GeV数量级的连续剂量电离粒子组成，深入穿透整个太阳系。大约87%的gcr是质子，其次是12%的α粒子和1%的没有轨道电子的高原子序数粒子（zbbb2）和能量粒子（HZE） （Simpson, 1983; George et al, 2009）。已经探索了各种屏蔽方法来解决空间辐射带来的挑战，大致可分为主动屏蔽和被动屏蔽。主动屏蔽利用外部能量源在航天器可居住区域周围产生电磁场，使进入的带电粒子偏转。在1911年发现超导现象之后（Van Delft和Kes， 2010），超导磁体的应用，通过其产生强磁场和表现为零电阻的独特能力，已经成为主动屏蔽领域的一种变革性方法，第一次提出是在20世纪60年代（Levy和French， 1968）。另一方面，被动屏蔽依赖于静态材料作为屏障，能够吸收和/或衰减不受库仑力影响的带电和不带电辐射。含有低z组分和富含高氢含量的复合材料因其改善的结构和辐射屏蔽性能而获得认可（例如，Evans等人，2018；Kaul等人，2004），特别是对辐射位姿电荷中性。基于两种屏蔽方法的综合原理（例如，Al Zaman和Monira， 2023），该项目从超导增强复合材料的概念中汲取灵感。这种创新的方法结合了利用超导添加剂的主动屏蔽和利用特性良好的聚苯并恶嗪树脂家族中的基体成分的被动屏蔽（Kong et al., 2023; He et al., 2024）。考虑到超导增强复合材料在空间辐射屏蔽应用中的总体质量、成本和性能，该项目的主要目标是减轻对大型超导磁体的依赖。该项目的进一步目标是：(i)根据所选超导体作为复合材料添加剂的规模和形态，了解其要求；（ii）表征超导体和基体成分之间改进的界面相互作用；（iii）证明这种创新材料的辐射屏蔽效率，拥有被动和主动屏蔽方法。

Recent advancements in space technology have brought humanity closer to achieving one of its most ambitious goals -manned space exploration. Despite this promising progress, the challenge of mitigating health threats posed by space radiation remains (Durante et al., 2008). Thus, beyond the terrestrial magnetic field, ensuring the safety of humans and electronics engaged in extraterrestrial activity has been a compelling research area. This project addresses the critical need for innovative materials to effectively protect human health and essential equipment during extraterrestrial activities, marking a pivotal step toward the actualisation of the plan of manned space exploration.The extensive range of ionising radiation encountered in space encompasses Solar Particle Events (SPEs) and Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) originating from the sun and outside the solar system. These two radiation sources exhibit distinct energy spectra and radiation compositions, necessitating separate consideration. SPE is characterised by abrupt and extremely intense bursts of low-energy (1-100 MeV) particles, primarily protons and a minor presence of alpha particles (helium ions). On the other hand, GCRs consist of a continuous dose of ionising particles with energy on the order of magnitude of 1 GeV, penetrating deeply throughout the solar system. Approximately 87% of GCRs are protons, followed by 12% of alpha particles and 1% of high atomic number (Z>2) and energy particles (HZE) devoid of all orbiting electrons (Simpson, 1983; George et al., 2009). Various shielding methods have been explored to address the challenges posed by space radiation and can broadly categorised as active and passive shielding. Active shielding utilises an external energy source to create an electromagnetic field around the habitable zone of the spacecraft, deflecting incoming charged particles. Following the discovery of the superconductivity phenomenon in 1911 (Van Delft and Kes, 2010), the application of superconducting magnets, which, through their unique ability to generate strong magnetic fields and exhibit zero electrical resistance, has emerged as a transformative approach in the field of active shielding, with the first proposal in the 1960s (Levy and French, 1968). On the other hand, passive shielding relies on static materials as a barrier, able to absorb and/or attenuate both charged and uncharged radiation that is unaffected by the Coulomb forces. Composite materials containing low-Z constituents and enriched with high-hydrogen content have gained recognition through their improved structural and radiation shielding performance (e.g., Evans et al., 2018; Kaul et al., 2004), especially against radiation poses charge neutrality. Building upon the combined principles of both shielding methods (e.g., Al Zaman and Monira, 2023), this project draws inspiration from the concept of superconductive-enhanced composite materials. This innovative approach integrates active shielding, leveraging superconducting additives, with passive shielding using matrix constituents within a family of well-characterised polybenzoxazine resins (Kong et al., 2023; He et al., 2024). The primary objective of this project is to alleviate the reliance on massive superconducting magnets, considering the overall mass, cost and performance of the superconductive-enhanced composite material in the context of space radiation shielding applications.The further aims of this project are: (i) to gain an understanding of the requirements of the chosen superconductor based on its scale and morphology as an additive in composite, (ii) to characterise the improved interfacial interaction between superconductor and matrix constituent, (iii) to demonstrate the radiation shielding efficiency of this innovative material, possessing passive and active shielding approach.