Black Sprayable Molecular Adsorber Coating

There is a tremendous need for this flight qualified electrically conductive, black, high capacity molecular adsorber system.  All current and future NASA programs will benefit.  The coating will be advantageous in reducing subsystem hardware bakeouts, reducing detector cycling, preventing high voltage arcing, eliminating costly material selections, improved instrument performance, and lengthening mission operations.  In addition, this adsorber will dramatically reduce mass and volume restrictions and is much less expensive than the puck design.  The cost is equivalent to applying thermal coatings on flight hardware.   If successful, this type of coating could become an industry standard on interiors of spacecraft and instruments, as an alternative to thermal control paint.  It is expected that this coating will be ready for infusion into flight projects by the end of the fiscal year.  Studies are being performed on the molecular adsorber coating to adsorb radiation, as well as contaminants, to improve performance of future cryogenic infrared instruments.  With respect to ground based applications, the coating can be used to improve performance of vacuum systems, as well as adsorb contaminants in optical coating life tests.

Additionally, progress made on the white version of coating has been highly successful.  GSFC is the only identity developing space-grade molecular adsorber coatings.  A patent has been filed for the white version of the molecular adsorber paint.