Design and Characterization of Ceramic-Based Flexible Devices for Mars Regolith Mitigation Applications

Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) ceramics have been widely used as a protective boundary for high temperature environments, flame shields, intrinsic barriers to moisture, and are often considered highly suitable materials for extreme environments. This class of materials can withstand temperatures up to 3000 °C and as low as cryogenic temperatures, far exceeding the maximum temperature of operation for most other materials including polymers. As the desire for space exploration continues to grow, the need for materials that can tolerate extreme conditions becomes more urgent. The tendency for µm-scale rock fragments, known as regolith, to electrostatically adhere to sensitive surfaces poses a major challenge for space exploration. In this work the authors study the tendency of JSC-Mars1 regolith simulant to adhere to flexible thin ceramic films and characterize the interaction as a function of temperature, particle size, and surface potential. Results suggest that these surfaces can be manipulated to reduce and possibly prevent dust accumulation and pave the way for design and adoption of novel dust mitigation techniques.