Additive Manufacturing of Multimaterial Composites for Radiation Shielding and Thermal Management

The harsh radiation environment of space induces thedegradationand malfunctioning of electronic systems. Current approaches for protectingthese microelectronic devices are generally limited to attenuatinga single type of radiation or require only selecting components thathave undergone the intensive and expensive process to be radiation-hardenedby design. Herein, we describe an alternative fabrication strategyto manufacture multimaterial radiation shielding via direct ink writingof custom tungsten and boron nitride composites. The additively manufacturedshields were shown to be capable of attenuating multiple species ofradiation by tailoring the composition and architecture of the printedcomposite materials. The shear-induced alignment during the printingprocess of the anisotropic boron nitride flakes provided a facilemethod for introducing favorable thermal management characteristicsto the shields. This generalized method offers a promising approachfor protecting commercially available microelectronic systems fromradiation damage and we anticipate this will vastly enhance the capabilitiesof future satellites and space systems.

Automated summary

The harsh radiation environment in space can lead to degradation and malfunctioning of electronic systems. Existing protection methods either attenuate a single type of radiation or require the use of radiation-hardened components. This study presents an alternative approach using direct ink writing to manufacture multi-material radiation shielding, which can attenuate multiple species of radiation by customizing the composition and architecture of the printed composite materials. The shear-induced alignment of anisotropic boron nitride flakes during the printing process also introduces favorable thermal management characteristics to the shields. It is anticipated that this generalized method will greatly enhance the capabilities of future satellites and space systems in protecting commercially available microelectronic systems from radiation damage.