Review of Passive Shielding Materials for High-Energy Charged Particles in Earth’s Orbit

Wang, Mingxin; Wang, Qian; Xiao, Yakai; Wang, Mingliang; Wang, Jianwei; Wang, Haowei; Chen, Zhansheng

doi:10.3390/ma18112558

This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.

Open AccessReview

Review of Passive Shielding Materials for High-Energy Charged Particles in Earth’s Orbit

by

Mingxin Wang

^1,2,

Qian Wang

²,

Yakai Xiao

²,

Mingliang Wang

^1,3,*,

Jianwei Wang

^2,*,

Haowei Wang

^1,3 and

Zhansheng Chen

²

¹

State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

²

Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering, No. 3666 Yuanjiang Road, Shanghai 201109, China

³

Institute of Alumics Materials, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Anhui), Huaibei 235000, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Materials 2025, 18(11), 2558; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112558

Submission received: 11 April 2025 / Revised: 21 May 2025 / Accepted: 27 May 2025 / Published: 29 May 2025

Download Versions Notes

Abstract

As space missions become increasingly complex, protection against high-energy charged particles has emerged as a critical factor for the safe operation of spacecraft. These electrical particles, including protons and electrons, can penetrate spacecraft structures and cause severe damage to internal components. Therefore, this review discusses the characteristics of the high-energy charged particle environment in Earth orbits. Accordingly, various passive shielding materials have been evaluated, highlighting their advantages, disadvantages, and applicability in different orbital environments. Specifically, the importance of optimizing shielding materials and structures to enhance the radiation resistance of spacecraft has been emphasized. Furthermore, advancements in passive shielding materials for high-energy charged particles in Earth orbit over the past few years have been examined. Finally, future research directions have been proposed, including the development of lighter and more efficient shielding materials, the optimization of multi-layer shielding structures, and the integration of passive shielding with other protective technologies.

Keywords: Earth orbit; passive shielding technology; proton shielding material; electron shielding material; multi-layer shielding; advanced materials

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Wang, M.; Wang, Q.; Xiao, Y.; Wang, M.; Wang, J.; Wang, H.; Chen, Z. Review of Passive Shielding Materials for High-Energy Charged Particles in Earth’s Orbit. Materials 2025, 18, 2558. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112558

AMA Style

Wang M, Wang Q, Xiao Y, Wang M, Wang J, Wang H, Chen Z. Review of Passive Shielding Materials for High-Energy Charged Particles in Earth’s Orbit. Materials. 2025; 18(11):2558. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112558

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wang, Mingxin, Qian Wang, Yakai Xiao, Mingliang Wang, Jianwei Wang, Haowei Wang, and Zhansheng Chen. 2025. "Review of Passive Shielding Materials for High-Energy Charged Particles in Earth’s Orbit" Materials 18, no. 11: 2558. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112558

APA Style

Wang, M., Wang, Q., Xiao, Y., Wang, M., Wang, J., Wang, H., & Chen, Z. (2025). Review of Passive Shielding Materials for High-Energy Charged Particles in Earth’s Orbit. Materials, 18(11), 2558. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112558

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Review of Passive Shielding Materials for High-Energy Charged Particles in Earth’s Orbit

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI