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

最近空间技术的进步使人类更接近实现其最雄心勃勃的目标之一--载人太空探索。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依然存在(Durante等人，2008年)。因此，在地球磁场之外，确保从事外星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。该项目解决了在地外活动期间有效保护人类健康和基本设备的迫切需要，标志着朝着实现载人空间探索计划迈出了关键一步。空间中遇到的广泛电离辐射包括源自太阳和太阳系以外的太阳粒子事件和银河宇宙射线。这两个辐射源表现出不同的能谱和辐射成分，需要分开考虑。SPE的特点是突然爆发极其强烈的低能(1-100 MeV)粒子，主要是质子和少量阿尔法粒子(氦离子)的存在。另一方面，GCR由能量约为1GeV的连续剂量的电离粒子组成，深入整个太阳系。大约87%的GCRs是质子，其次是12%的α粒子和1%的高原子序数(Z&gt；2)和不含所有轨道电子的能量粒子(HZE)(Simpson，1983；George等人，2009年)。为应对空间辐射带来的挑战，人们探索了各种屏蔽方法，大致可分为主动屏蔽和被动屏蔽。主动屏蔽利用外部能源在航天器的宜居区周围产生电磁场，使传入的带电粒子偏转。随着1911年超导现象的发现(Van Delft和Kes，2010)，超导磁体的应用，由于其独特的产生强磁场和零电阻的能力，已成为有源屏蔽领域的一种变革性方法，第一个提议是在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未带电辐射。含有低Z组分和高氢含量的复合材料因其改进的结构和辐射屏蔽性能而得到认可(例如，Evans等人，2018；Kaul等人，2004)，特别是针对辐射引起的电荷中性。基于两种屏蔽方法(如Al Zaman和Monira，2023)的组合原理，该项目从超导增强复合材料的概念中获得灵感。这一创新方法将利用超导添加剂的有源屏蔽与使用特性良好的聚苯并恶嗪树脂家族中的基质成分的无源屏蔽相结合(Kong等人，2023；He等人，2024)。这个项目的主要目标是考虑到空间辐射屏蔽应用中超导增强复合材料的总体质量、成本和性能，减少对大质量超导磁体的依赖。本项目的进一步目标是：(I)根据所选超导体作为复合材料中添加剂的规模和形态了解所选超导体的要求，(Ii)表征超导体与基质成分之间改善的界面相互作用，(Iii)展示这种具有被动和主动屏蔽方法的创新材料的辐射屏蔽效率。

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.