Advanced Materials for Next-Generation Space Electric Propulsion Systems

Advanced plasma-resistant materials are crucial in space electric propulsion (EP) systems, where plasma-facing components face intense high-energy interactions. These materials have the potential to significantly increase system lifespan and efficiency by withstanding the harsh plasma environment, thereby ensuring more robust and effective operation in space missions. Our recent work in a new category of robust materials, VCMs (volumetrically complex materials), allows optimization of additively manufactured materials that exploit the "self-healing" and geometric trapping of open-cell and porous architectures under extreme plasma-facing conditions. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of VCMs for space propulsion by covering recent advances in topics including sputtering theory, specific applications, VCM experimental findings, and ion-solid interaction simulations to illustrate how VCMs can provide optimized materials to redefine next-generation space propulsion systems.