Space radiation environmental testing on POSS coated solar cell coverglass

Light weight, flexible, radiation hardened solar cells coatings are of interest for applications on satellite power generation owing to the potential advantages in terms of having higher specific power (lightweight), lower specific volume (flexible), and higher end-of-life power (superior radiation resistance), as compared to current state-of-the-art Ce-doped micro sheet solar cell coverglass. The space radiation environment causes gradual optical performance degradation of coverglass and coatings, thus limiting the lifetime of the solar array. The objective of this project is to assess the POSS (polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane) coating in simulated space proton radiation environments. Due to the unique molecular structure, POSS may be equipped with suitable optical property along with superior radiation hardness, thus better protecting the solar cells.