Current Progress: Development of a High-Strength Graphene/Polyethylene Composite Film for Next-Generation Solar Sails

Solar Sail is a revolutionary technology that uses the solar radiation pressure exerted by the momentum transfer of reflected light from the Sun and enables long-term space exploration without fuel. This technology relies heavily on material selection to optimize the weight and strength of the spacecraft. The currently used polyimide film (LaRC^TM CP1) has been utilized in NASA’s Nanosail-D and NEA Scout missions, and has a tensile strength of only 87 MPa, requiring higher performance. Our research team has developed a graphene/polyethylene (PE) composite film that has a low density (0.94 g/mL, 25°C) and excellent tensile strength up to 4 GPa. This film offers significantly higher strength than existing films, and can play an important role in enhancing durability, especially in space environments. The first phase of this study is to investigate the change in mechanical strength according to the ratio of carbon filler and antioxidant, and achieve a tensile strength of more than 200 MPa. This research has the potential to significantly improve the performance and durability of solar sails in future space missions.