Black Matte Paint for Space Use

A. I have used a product called Chemglaze, I forget the Manufacturer's name. It comes in white and flat black. If you are looking for a "real" low emissivity coating suitable for space use, try a Martin Marietta coating (similar to anodizing) its called "Martin Black or Martin Marietta Black. We used it for an infrared radiometer used on the EOS AM-1 Spacecraft.

A. The Martin Black process IS anodizing. I have been using it for 8 years. It has very low reflectivity from UV to deep IR. There is another antireflective coating called CAT-A-Lac 463-3-8 from Dexter Aerospace Materials (Illinois). I don't have experience with it.

A. The name of the company that manufactures Chemglaze (now called Aeroglaze) is the Lord Corporation. They are based in Erie Pennsylvania.

A. Detailed specification of black paint CHEMGLAZE Z306 is described in ESA PSS-01-725 Issue 1

A. I believe Lord's Z-line Chemglaze is an aromatic polyurethane used mainly for interior applications. The A-line (i.e. A276) is aliphatic and had a name change from Chemglaze A-xxx to Aeroglaze. It is very good for exterior and space use.

I think it meets the NASA outgassing requirements ( ASTM E595). The white color has good reflectivity and there is a black that is a good absorber.

Q. Also, I would be interested in some more info on Martin Black. Have been unable to locate any.

A. Re: Flat black paint w/low reflectivity in IR range +

To answer this question:

a. a site for paint/material emissivity is electro-optical.com/bb_rad/emissivity/emissivity.htm ⇩

b. the best paint for Black body as IR sources is: ALEXIT Velvet coating 811-21 (was 3M Nextel) emissivity of .97, thermal conductive 30 deg.C to 150 deg. C, total emissivity -60 deg. C to 150 deg. C.

Ed. update Oct 2024: That link is broken.

A. JFYI,

NEXTEL Suede and NEXTEL Velvet coatings are STILL available, not through 3M though.

The distributor for North America is Mankiewicz Coatings LLC.

They have been selling these products under the ALEXIT brand but have recently acquired the rights on the NEXTEL brand name for North America.

A. I am researching many of the same issues posted here in several questions. There are two important papers you may want to consider, especially if your applications are cryogenic: (1) "The selection of infrared blacks for SIRTF" by St. Claire Dinger, SPIE, Vol. 2260, Stray Radiation in Optical Systems III (1994). (2) "Infrared black paints for room and cryogenic temperatures" by Ungar, Mangin, Lutz, Jeandel & Wyncke, SPIE, Vol 1157, IR Technology XV (1989). I spoke with Martin Marietta in FL and was told they are not interested in applying the Martin anodize process for small external projects. Have not checked Lockmart. Lord Co.'s division in Erie PA sells the Aeroglaze products, and there are other companies (do a quick web search) who will apply it for you if you'd rather not buy large quantities. My experience is that companies sell the rights to these products frequently, so it takes a bit of detective work to locate what you need.

Ed. note: Some vendors are supporting advertisers right here on finishing.com, where their contact info is always current, imposing no "detective work" on their potential customers

Krylon 1602
Ultra Flat Black

on eBay or

Amazon

(affil links)

A. The emissivity of Krylon Ultra Flat Black Paint ⇨
is listed in the web site below as 0.97 at 5 µm. I have recently used a 3-5 µm InSb radiometric thermal imager to measure the emissivity. I sprayed the paint on a copper plate and mounted it on a cold finger of a variable temperature dewar with a calcium fluoride window. I rotated the dewar window so as to not back reflect. I measured an emissivity of 0.89 for the setup. If we exclude the reflection from the window (~0.04 x 2), this would give an emissivity for the black paint of ~0.97 in agreement with the web site.
http://www.infrared-thermography.com/training.htm ⇩

Ed. update Oct 2024: The above link is broken. Thankfully, the Internet Archive saved a copy here
Please consider a donation to The Internet Archive. Don't follow abandoned links, old URLs are sought out by hackers!

A. I have been experimenting with infrared coatings for NIR, MidIR and FarIR. In general if the temperature of the item coated is 100 °C or less the Krylon ultra flat black ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] gives the best most consistent coating, better than many that are specified higher than .97. It is far easier to apply than most other coatings also. Spectral would be from 1 to 16 microns but at longer wavelengths how the coating is applied makes a difference. At surface temperatures above 100 °C it turns grayish and emissivity drops significantly.

A. The Hi-Temp paint needs to be cured, and if used in a vacuum system, off gases like crazy. (Tried it)

The Krylon 1602 ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] mentioned above has NASA / CAL TECH reports measuring it's emissivity and it's used for our emissivity based experiments.

Dear Ajay,

A. You might try Okitsumo, Inc. Their corporate headquarters are in Japan. If you'd like their U.S. phone number, please contact me.

A. I think that the best black coating is ZYNOLYTE a paint for Hi-Temp (1200°F°) the original purpose was to paint stoves or similar, but now is used for all manufacturer of black-bodies, for NASA, Sandia Labs, etc. The coefficient is 0,99 and works perfectly in IR, Distributor is Athena Brands Inc Gardnerville Nevada

A. This page lists 3M optical black as having an Emissivity of 1.00... I assume since its made by 3m, it should be commercially available from them somewhere, but I have yet to find a source. If anyone can find a source for this paint...
www.infrared-thermography.com/training.htm ⇩

"Paint: 3M, black velvet coating 9560 series optical black"

Apparently coatings used in optics, telescopes, laser devices, etc... are the best bet to look for which have been developed for extremely good absorption across a wide spectrum (I assume, precise data on any particular paint would be far preferable as to how it reacted across a large area of the spectrum).

Ed. update: The above link is broken. Thankfully, the Internet Archive saved a copy here
Please consider a donation to The Internet Archive. Don't follow abandoned links, old URLs are sought out by hackers!

A. The web site below gives the reflectance spectra of a number of commercially available paints. The emissivity is just 1 minus the reflectance.

http://speclib.jpl.nasa.gov/scripts/lib/asp/ManmadeResp.asp ⇩

Ed. note: That page no longer exists, but the overall site does if readers wish to try to hunt for that page for the information.

A. Data on Martin Black and several other black surfaces are given in this author's paper: "Review of black surfaces for space-borne infrared systems" Review of Scientific Instruments, vol 70, no 5 p2193.
3M black hemi-directional, spectral reflectance 2-9 microns is 0.04; 9-20 microns its 0.06.

A. Depending on the Form, fit, function and wave length of the part that has to absorb IR, the processes are various and many. Electrolysis, painting and / or growth. Over the past 15 years I have tested many so with a little more information I might be able to point you in the right direction.

A. Please also consider the following absorber coatings used for space applications from Alion Science and Technology:
MH2200
MH21:6N/LO

A. You can try Fractal Black or Black Metal Velvet by Acktar Ltd.

A. This site should help with choosing an paint based on it's emissivity value.

masterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/reference/paints.htm ⇩

Ed. note: That page no longer exists, but the overall site does if readers wish to try to hunt for that page for the information.

A. Consider using a flat black projector border paint like the one from digital image; sounds like exactly what you're looking for.