Nano-fillers in fiber reinforced polymers for performance enhancement of satellite structures

For proper in orbit operation, satellite structures as those for communication have to achieve high functionality under severe environmental conditions. They have to be dimensionally very stable under quasi-static temperature changes, need to have good thermal end electrical conductivity and might even have to change their shape drastically to adapt to new mission requirements. To enhance such functionalities, the inclusion of nano materials to improve electromagnetic properties of flexible membrane materials is considered. In this paper, the method of improvement, the influence on important mechanical properties and the possible use of such materials will be presented. Results show that these properties can be significantly improved for proper types of nano filler material.