Spacesuit Textiles from Extreme Fabric Materials: Aromatic Amide Polymer and Boron Nitride Nanotube Composite Fiber for Neutron Shielding and Thermal Management

Abstract

Space exploration provides unparalleled opportunities for unraveling the mysteries of our origins and exploring planetary systems beyond Earth. Long-distance space missions require successful protection against significant radiation exposure, necessitating the development of effective radiation shielding materials. This study developed aromatic amide polymer (AAP) and boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) composite fibers using lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) and industrially viable wet-spinning processes. The uniaxially oriented 1D composite fibers provide the necessary continuity and pliability to fabricate 2D macroscopic textiles with low density (1.80 g cm⁻³), mechanical modulus (18.16 GPa), and heat stability (up to 479 °C), while exhibiting the improved thermal neutron absorption cross-section with thermal neutron-shielding performance (0.73 mm⁻¹). These composite textiles also show high thermal conductivity (7.88 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹) due to their densely packed and uniaxially oriented structures. These enhanced characteristics render the fibers a highly promising material for space applications, offering robust protection for both astronauts and electronics against the dual threats of radiation and heat.

Keywords

Lyotropic liquid crystal / Robust composite material / Space radiation shielding / Thermal conductive pathway

References

[1] Santomartino R, Averesch NJH, Bhuiyan M, Cockell CS, Colangelo J, Gumulya Y, Lehner B, Lopez-Ayala I, McMahon S, Mohanty A, Maria SRS, Urbaniak C, Volger R, Yang J, Zea L. Toward sustainable space exploration: a roadmap for harnessing the power of microorganisms. Nat Commun, 2023, 14: 1391,

[2] Levchenko I, Bazaka K, Belmonte T, Keidar M, Xu S. Advanced materials for next-generation spacecraft. Adv Mater, 2018, 30: 1802201,

[3] Millar TJ, Walsh C, Field TA. Negative ions in space. Chem Rev, 2017, 117: 1765,

[4] Patel ZS, Brunstetter TJ, Tarver WJ, Whitmire AM, Zwart SR, Smith SM, Huff JL. Red risks for a journey to the red planet: the highest priority human health risks for a mission to Mars. NPJ Microgravity, 2020, 6: 33,

[5] Prinzie J, Simanjuntak FM, Leroux P, Prodromakis T. Low-power electronic technologies for harsh radiation environments. Nat Electron, 2021, 4: 243,

[6] Nguyen T. Powering human settlements in space. ACS Cent Sci, 2020, 6: 450,

[7] Stallard S, Jiang H, Chen Y, Bergman TL, Li X. Exploring the design space of the effective thermal conductivity, permeability, and stiffness of high-porosity foams. Mater Des, 2023, 231,

[8] Bennett CJ, Pirim C, Orlando TM. Space-weathering of solar system bodies: a laboratory perspective. Chem Rev, 2013, 113: 9086,

[9] Leung EM, Escobar MC, Stiubianu GT, Jim SR, Vyatskikh AL, Feng Z, Garner N, Patel P, Naughton KL, Follador M, Karshalev E, Trexler MD, Gorodetsky AA. A dynamic thermoregulatory material inspired by squid skin. Nat Commun, 1947, 2019: 10

[10] Du T, Xiong Z, Delgado L, Liao W, Peoples J, Kantharaj R, Chowdhury PR, Marconnet A, Ruan X. Wide range continuously tunable and fast thermal switching based on compressible graphene composite foams. Nat Commun, 2021, 12: 4915,

[11] Kim DY, Christoff-Tempesta T, Lamour G, Zuo X, Ryu KH, Ortony JH. Morphological transitions of a photoswitchable aramid amphiphile nanostructure. Nano Lett, 2021, 21: 2912,

[12] Yang B, Wang L, Zhang M, Luo J, Lu Z, Ding X. Fabrication, applications, and prospects of aramid nanofiber. Adv Funct Mater, 2020, 30: 2000186,

[13] Zhang D, Zhang S, Yapici N, Oakley R, Sharma S, Parashar V, Yap YK. Emerging applications of boron nitride nanotubes in energy harvesting, electronics, and biomedicine. ACS Omega, 2021, 6: 20722,

[14] Kim JH, Pham TV, Hwang JH, Kim CS, Kim MJ. Boron nitride nanotubes: synthesis and applications. Nano Converg., 2018, 5: 17,

[15] Cho Y, Christoff-Tempesta T, Kim DY, Lamour G, Ortony JH. Domain-selective thermal decomposition within supramolecular nanoribbons. Nat Commun, 2021, 12: 7340,

[16] Tank MJ, Reyes AN, Park JG, Scammell LR, Smith MW, Leon AD, Sweat RD. Extreme thermal stability and dissociation mechanisms of purified boron nitride nanotubes: implications for high-temperature nanocomposites. ACS Appl Nano Mater, 2022, 5: 12444,

[17] Zhang J, Uzun S, Seyedin S, Lynch PA, Akuzum B, Wang Z, Qin S, Alhabeb M, Shuck CE, Lei W, Kumbur EC, Yang W, Wang X, Dion G, Razal JM, Gogotsi Y. Additive-free MXene liquid crystals and fibers. ACS Cent Sci, 2020, 6: 254,

[18] Behabtu N, Young CC, Tsentalovich DE, Kleinerman O, Wang X, Ma AWK, Bengio EA, Waarbeek RFT, Jong JJD, Hoogerwerf RE, Fairchild SB, Ferguson JB, Maruyama B, Kono J, Talmon Y, Cohen Y, Otto MJ, Pasquali M. Strong, light, multifunctional fibers of carbon nanotubes with ultrahigh conductivity. Science, 2013, 339: 182,

[19] Zhu J, Cao W, Yue M, Hou Y, Han J, Yang M. Strong and stiff aramid nanofiber/carbon nanotube nanocomposites. ACS Nano, 2015, 9: 2489,

[20] Christoff-Tempesta T, Cho Y, Kim DY, Geri M, Lamour G, Lew AJ, Zuo X, Lindemann WR, Ortony JH. Self-assembly of aramid amphiphiles into ultra-stable nanoribbons and aligned nanoribbon threads. Nat Nanotechnol, 2021, 16: 447,

[21] Gulo DP, Hung NT, Chen WL, Wang S, Liu M, Kauppinen EI, Maruyama S, Chang YM, Saito R, Liu HL. Interacting phonons between layers in Raman spectra of carbon nanotubes inside boron nitride nanotubes. J Phys Chem Lett, 2023, 14: 10263,

[22] Pingrey B, Hsieh YL. Sulfated cellulose nanofibrils from chlorosulfonic acid treatment and their wet spinning into high-strength fibers. Biomacromol, 2022, 23: 1269,

[23] Kim DY, Lim SI, Jung D, Hwang JK, Kim N, Jeong KU. Self-assembly and polymer-stabilization of lyotropic liquid crystals in aqueous and non-aqueous solutions. Liq Cryst Rev, 2017, 5: 34,

[24] Roberts AD, Kelly P, Bain J, Morrison JJ, Wimpenny I, Barrow M, Woodward RT, Gresil M, Blanford C, Hay S, Blaker JJ, Yeates SG, Scrutton NS. Graphene-aramid nanocomposite fibres via superacid co-processing. Chem Commun, 2019, 55: 11703,

[25] Kleinerman O, Adnan M, Marincel DM, Ma AWK, Bengio EA, Park C, Chu SH, Pasquali M, Talmon Y. Dissolution and characterization of boron nitride nanotubes in superacid. Langmuir, 2017, 33: 14340,

[26] Green MJ, Behabtu N, Pasquali M, Adams WW. Nanotubes as polymers. Polymer, 2009, 50: 4979,

[27] Davidson ZS, Huang Y, Gross A, Martinez A, Still T, Zhou C, Collings PJ, Kamien RD, Yodh AG. Deposition and drying dynamics of liquid crystal droplets. Nat Commun, 2017, 8: 15642,

[28] Park SK, Kim SE, Kim DY, Kang SW, Shin S, Kuo SW, Hwang SH, Lee SH, Lee MH, Jeong KU. Polymer-stabilized chromonic liquid-crystalline polarizer. Adv Funct Mater, 2011, 21: 2129,

[29] lfuku S, Maeta H, lzawa H, Morimoto M, Saimoto H. Facile preparation of aramid nanofibers from Twaron fibers by a downsizing process. RSC Adv, 2014, 4: 40377,

[30] Harrison H, Lamb JT, Nowlin KS, Guenthner AJ, Ghiassi KB, Kelkar AD, Alston JR. Quantification of hexagonal boron nitride impurities in boron nitride nanotubes via FTIR spectroscopy. Nanoscale Adv, 2019, 1: 1693,

[31] Chen HJ, Bai QY, Liu MC, Wu G, Wang YZ. Ultrafast, cost-effective and scaled-up recycling of aramid products into aramid nanofibers: mechanism, upcycling, closed-loop recycling. Green Chem, 2021, 23: 7646,

[32] Song Y, Li B, Yang S, Ding G, Zhang C, Xie X. Ultralight boron nitride aerogels via template-assisted chemical vapor deposition. Sci Rep, 2015, 5: 10337,

[33] Lim H, Kim YK, Kim HS, Lee T, Hossain MM, Jeong HO, Lee HS, Cho H, Joo Y, Lee SS, Park S, Rho H, Jeong HS, Kim MJ, Ahn S, Moon SY, Kim KS, Choi SQ, Kim BJ, Jang SG. Lyotropic boron nitride nanotube liquid crystals: preparation, characterization, and wet-spinning for fabrication of composite fiber. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2023, 15: 24681,

[34] Choyal VK, Choyal V, Nevhal S, Bergaley A, Kundalwal SI. Effect of aspects ratio on Young’s modulus of boron nitride nanotubes: a molecular dynamics study. Mater Today: Proc, 2020, 26: 1

[35] Weiss P, Mohamed MP, Gobert T, Chouard Y, Singh N, Chalal T, Schmied S, Schweins M, Stegmaier T, Gresser GT, Groemer G, Sejkora N, Das S, Rampini R, Hołyńska M. Advanced materials for future lunar extravehicular activity space suit. Adv Mater Technol, 2020, 5: 2000028,

[36] Shang Y, Yang G, Su F, Feng Y, Ji Y, Liu D, Yin R, Liu C, Shen C. Multilayer polyethylene/hexagonal boron nitride composites showing high neutron shielding efficiency and thermal conductivity. Compos Commun, 2020, 19: 147,

[37] Huo Z, Zhao S, Zhong G, Zhang H, Hu L. Surface modified-gadolinium/boron/polyethylene composite with high shielding performance for neutron and gamma-ray. Nucl Mater Energy, 2021, 29,

[38] Soni BK, Makwana R, Mukherjee S, Barala SS, Parashari S, Chauhan R, Jodha AS, Katovsky K. Novel concrete compositions for γ-rays and neutron shielding using WC and B₄C. Results Mater, 2021, 10,

[39] Cui K, Li Y, Wei W, Teng Q, Zhang T, Wu J, Kang H, Qin W, Wu X. Crystal plane engineering of MAPbl₃ in epoxy-based materials for superior gamma-ray shielding performance. Light Adv Manuf, 2022, 3: 51

[40] Bijanu A, Paulose R, Tomar AS, Agrawal V, Gowri VS, Sanghi SK, Khan R, Khan MA, Salammal ST, Mishra D. Chemically bonded tungsten-based polymer composite for X-rays shielding applications. Mater Today Commun, 2022, 32,

[41] Nambiar S, Yeow JTW. Polymer-composite materials for radiation protection. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2012, 4: 5717,

[42] Avcıoğlu S. LDPE matrix composites reinforced with dysprosium-boron containing compounds for radiation shielding applications. J Alloys Compd, 2022, 927,

[43] More CV, Alsayed Z, Badawi MS, Thabet AA, Pawar PP. Polymeric composite materials for radiation shielding: a review. Environ Chem Lett, 2021, 19: 2057,

[44] Liu B, Gu Y, Liu Y, Wang S, Li M. Space neutron radiation shielding property of continuous fiber and functional filler reinforced polymer composite using Monte Carlo simulation. Compos Part A, 2023, 168,

[45] Lei L, Shi S, Wang D, Meng S, Dai JG, Fu S, Hu J. Recent advances in thermoregulatory clothing: materials, mechanisms, and perspectives. ACS Nano, 1803, 2023: 17

[46] Chang CW, Fennimore AM, Afanasiev A, Okawa D, lkuno T, Garcia H, Li D, Majumdar A, Zettl A. Isotope effect on the thermal conductivity of boron nitride nanotubes. Phys Rev Lett, 2006, 97: 085901,

[47] Chang CW, Han WQ, Zettl A. Thermal conductivity of B-C-N and BN nanotubes. J Vac Sci Technol B, 1883, 2005: 23

[48] Yuanpeng W, Xue Y, Qin S, Liu D, Wang X, Hu X, Li J, Wang X, Bando Y, Golberg D, Chen Y, Gogotsi Y, Lei W. BN nanosheet/polymer films with highly anisotropic thermal conductivity for thermal management applications. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2017, 9: 43163,

[49] Terao T, Zhi C, Bando Y, Mitome M, Tang C, Golberg D. Alignment of boron nitride nanotubes in polymeric composite films for thermal conductivity improvement. J Phys Chem C, 2010, 114: 4340,

[50] Hu J, lqbal MI, Sun F. Wool can be cool: water-actuating woolen knitwear for both hot and cold. Adv Funct Mater, 2020, 30: 2005033,

[51] lqbal MI, Shuo S, Jiang Y, Fei B, Xia Q, Wang X, Hu W, Hu J. Woolen respirators for thermal management. Adv Mater Technol, 2021, 6: 2100201,

[52] He H, Peng W, Liu J, Chan XY, Liu S, Lu L, Ferrand HL. Microstructured BN composites with internally designed high thermal conductivity paths for 3D electronic packaging. Adv Mater, 2022, 34: 2205120,

[53] Su Z, Wang H, Ye X, Tian K, Huang W, Xiao C, Tian X. Enhanced thermal conductivity of functionalized-graphene/boron nitride flexible laminated composite adhesive via a facile latex approach. Compos Part A, 2017, 99: 166,

[54] Pan X, Debije MG, Schenning APHJ. High thermal conductivity in anisotropic aligned polymeric materials. ACS Appl Polym Mater, 2021, 3: 578,