New materials are needed to enable the next generation of space travel and intergalactic travel.

Swinburne research highlights the cutting-edge materials that are solving these problems, including those being developed by the university’s own Multifunctional Materials and Composites team.

These include self-healing polymers, fire and thermally resistant materials, materials for thermal management, self-cleaning materials, EMI shielding materials and multifunctional carbon fibre composites.

Lead author and Swinburne Engineering Senior Lecturer Dr Nisa Salim says space exploration is both an exciting and expensive endeavour.

“As we push the boundaries of space exploration, ensuring astronaut safety and the long-term operation of space technologies becomes paramount,” she said. 

“This research serves as a catalogue of innovative materials that hold the promise of transforming space exploration.”

Swinburne Pro Vice-Chancellor Flagship Initiatives, astronomer and article co-author Professor Alan Duffy says; “The space environment is one of the most challenging that humanity has ever encountered, requiring multiple solutions to all be incorporated into a single mission”.

“This work brings together an enormous breadth of next-generation technologies that companies and space agencies can adopt to meet the challenges at the final frontier.” Dr Salim’s research highlights the following findings about a range of innovative materials:

  • Multifunctional carbon fibre composites possess exceptional strength-to-weight ratios and can serve multiple purposes, reducing overall spacecraft weight and boosting mission efficiency

  • EMI shielding materials provide protection against electromagnetic interference that disrupts communication and navigation systems, ensuring smooth and reliable data transmission in the harsh environment of space

  • Advanced materials with superior thermal management properties can help regulate temperatures and protect sensitive instruments from damage caused by excessive heat or cold

  • Graphene-based wearables have the potential to revolutionise space exploration by providing lightweight, flexible, and high-performance solutions for astronaut health monitoring, radiation protection, thermal management, energy harvesting, communication, impact protection, and environmental monitoring