Perspective on liquid metal enabled space science and technology

作     者：ZHANG Xu-Dong LIU Jing ZHANG Xu-Dong;LIU Jing

作者机构：Beijing Key Lab of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering and Key Lab of CryogenicsTechnical Institute of Physics and ChemistryChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100190China School of Future TechnologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100039China Department of Biomedical EngineeringSchool of MedicineTsinghua UniversityBeijing 100084China 

出 版 物：《Science China(Technological Sciences)》 (中国科学（技术科学英文版）)

年 卷 期：2020年第63卷第7期

页      面：1127-1140页

核心收录：

学科分类：07[理学] 070205[理学-凝聚态物理] 08[工学] 0805[工学-材料科学与工程（可授工学、理学学位）] 080502[工学-材料学] 0702[理学-物理学] 

基　　金：supported by the Key Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 91748206) the Frontier Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dean’s Research Funding 

主　　题：liquid metal space science and technology space nuclear power thermal management electromagnetic shielding electronic printing hydrodynamic characteristics 

摘      要：With the rapid development of deep space exploration and commercial flight, a series of tough scientific and technological challenges were raised, which urgently require ever advanced technologies to tackle with. Recently, liquid metals, as a kind of newly emerging functional material, are attracting various attention and many breakthroughs have been made on earth. Such a scientific trend also suggests promising approaches for solving those extreme challenges in space environment. To fulfill the increasing needs thus involved, this article is dedicated to systematically introducing liquid metal material and its related disciplines into space science and technology. Firstly, existing application of liquid metal cooling for space nuclear power was summarized. Then, some potential space practices were tentatively put forward, such as liquid metal thermal interface medium,liquid metal phase change material, liquid metal convection cooling, metal alloy thermal storage, liquid metal electromagnetic shielding and liquid metal electronic printing. Fundamental as well as practical issues that would differ with earth were interpreted. Finally, potential liquid metal space experiments were proposed to investigate the liquid metal hydrodynamic characteristic, wettability and phase change mechanism in space physical environment. Overall, liquid metal enabled space science and technology investigation will not only help efficiently solve the current and future space technological problems, but also aid to stimulate the advancement of liquid metal space material science.