Degradation of metallic surfaces under space conditions, with particular emphasis on hydrogen recombination processes

TL;DR

This paper investigates how space conditions cause metallic surface degradation, focusing on hydrogen bubble formation from recombination processes, which impact the physical and optical properties of metals used in space technology.

Contribution

It introduces a thermodynamic model for hydrogen bubble formation on metals under space irradiation, validated by experiments, highlighting effects on surface properties relevant to space applications.

Findings

Hydrogen bubbles form on irradiated metals, increasing surface roughness.

Bubble formation alters thermo-optical properties of metals.

Model predictions align with experimental irradiation results.

Abstract

The widespread use of metallic structures in space technology brings risk of degradation which occurs under space conditions. New types of materials dedicated for space applications, that have been developed in the last decade, are in majority not well tested for different space mission scenarios. Very little is known how material degradation may affect the stability and functionality of space vehicles and devices during long term space missions. Our aim is to predict how the solar wind and electromagnetic radiation degrade metallic structures. Therefore both experimental and theoretical studies of material degradation under space conditions have been performed. The studies are accomplished at German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Bremen (Germany) and University of Zielona G\'{o}ra (Poland). The paper presents the results of the theoretical part of those studies. It is proposed that metal bubbles filled with Hydrogen molecular gas, resulting from recombination of the metal free electrons and the solar protons, are formed on the irradiated surfaces. A thermodynamic model of bubble formation has been developed. We study the creation process of $\rm{H_2}$-bubbles as function of, inter alia, the metal temperature, proton dose and energy. Our model has been verified by irradiation experiments completed at the DLR facility in Bremen. Consequences of the bubble formation are changes of the physical and thermo-optical properties of such degraded metals. We show that a high surface density of bubbles (up to $10^8$ $\rm{cm^{-2}}$) with a typical bubble diameter of $\sim 0.4$$\rm{\mu}$m will cause a significant increase of the metallic surface roughness. This may have serious consequences to any space mission. Changes in the thermo-optical properties of metallic foils are especially important for the solar sail propulsion technology, ...