Acktar™'s Fractal Black™ black coated polyimide film delivers low reflectance and high emissivity across the spectrum from UV thru VIS to SWIR, for straylight suppression.

The key features of the Fractal Black coating include:

• Essentially zero outgassing
• Vacuum and thermal—vacuum cycling qualified
• Operating temperatures from (-)269°C to (+)350°C
• No particulation
• A few microns thick
• Compatible with virtually all substrate materials

Additionally, the key characteristics include:

• High adhesion
• Temperature stability
• Space qualified
• Light weight
• Low reflection
• REACH ROHS compliant
• Low outgassing: CVCM < 0.001
• Thickness 5-14µm
• Completely inorganic

Fractal Black was thoroughly tested and qualified for thermal cycling, thermal vacuum cycling, cryogenic temperature performance, outgassing, space atomic oxygen, reflectance after environmental exposure, adherence. Detailed BRDF data is available for VIS. SWIR, MWIR and LWIR.

Typical applications include:

• Aerospace, satellites and instruments
• Passive thermal management
• Stray light suppression, shielding and light absorption

The shelf life for Fractal Black™ is a minimum of 12 months after the date of shipment, provided that the material is stored in its original unopened container under normal indoor conditions (approximately +20°C / RH50%). The coating chemical content is 100% inorganic and the abrasion resistance is moderate.

Possible delivery formats include:

• Rolls (width: 200/300mm, length: 10/20/50m)
• Die-cuts / Kiss-cuts – any shape
• Optional low outgassing adhesive backing available

Mission highlights

This product has been used in the following key missions:

• BepiColombo - a 2-satellite mission to Mercury, to study the planet's geology, exosphere, magnetosphere and more.
• Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) - an exploration mission to perform scientific research of the planet and develop new interplanetary technologies. This was both India’s and Asia’s first interplanetary mission.
• CHIME: Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission for the Environment - a 2-satellite mission with the objective of providing hyperspectral images to map the changes in land cover and help provide sustainable farming techniques.
• James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) - an orbiting infrared observatory building on the legacy of the Hubble Space Telescope. The JWST is a 6200 kg system designed to extend our understanding of the universe in a wide variety of areas.
• FLEX - a fluorescence imaging satellite designed to join the orbit of Sentinel-3 and utilize the combined observation capabilities to map global photosynthetic activity, to improve global vegetation detection.
• Euclid - an ESA mission consisting of a wide-angle space telescope, operating at the Sun-Earth second Lagrange point L2, and built to improve humanity's understanding of dark matter, dark energy, and gravity.
• DESIS - a hyperspectral imaging spectrometer operating onboard the ISS and designed to collect accurate data on the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land surface across a wide spectral range.
• JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) - an ESA-led mission to make a detailed study of Jupiter, Europe, Ganymede, and Callisto - with a suite of observation instruments.
• Cheops (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) - the first dedicated mission with the objective of studying nearby, and bright, stars that host exoplanets. The mission was led by ESA and utilized a spacecraft built by Airbus Defense and Space, Spain.