Natalie Perez
MIT Department: Aeronautics and Astronautics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Brian Wardle
Research Supervisor: Palak Patel
Undergraduate Institution: University of Florida
Website:
Biography
Natalie Perez is a rising senior at the University of Florida, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. She plans to pursue a PhD in Aerospace Engineering with a specialization in Materials and Structures, aspiring to become a Structural Engineer. Through her years of experience in the Space Weather Impacts, Forecast, and Transit lab at her home university, as well as previous heliophysics work done at the Air Force Research Laboratory located on the Kirtland Air Force Base, she developed an in-depth understanding of spaceweather. Her research focuses on how various materials respond to and protect from the volatile space environment. As an author of two papers, she encouraged others to participate in research while acting as UF’s AIAA branch Student Conference Director, mentoring over a dozen students as they wrote, published, and presented their own research. Natalie spends her free time flying Cessna 172s and various gliders, always looking for new places to fly to.
Abstract
Characterization of Boron Nitride Nanotube-High Density Polyethylene Nanocomposites for Space Radiation Shielding
Natalie Nicole Perez1, Palak Patel2, and Brian Wardle2,3
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida
2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Space is an incredibly hostile environment, filled with ionizing radiation from both our Sun and the galaxy. This radiation is harmful to both spacecraft and humans and can result in premature mission failure. One of the current state of the art materials used in spacecraft to protect from the space environment is high density polyethylene (HDPE)due to its high hydrogen content, as hydrogen is a lightweight efficient energy absorption material and produces minimal secondary radiation, amongst other beneficial characteristics, allowing it to halt ionized particles. Boron-enriched materials, such as boron nitride nanotubes(BNNTs), offer superior thermal neutron radiation shielding compared to hydrogen, which is the most harmful radiation for humans. While state-of-the-art nanocomposites have 1-10 wt% of BNNTs, using a bulk nanocomposite laminate fabricating technique, developed by MIT’s necst lab, allows the production of a 50 wt% BNNT-HDPE nanocomposite. Previous testing of BNNT-HDPE nanocomposites shows neutron radiation shielding capabilities 10 times more effective than HDPE alone of the same mass. To optimize the manufacturing process to produce a high quality BNNT-HDPE nanocomposite, the nanocomposite underwent characterization including void quantification, imaging for nanotube infusion, composition characterization, and thermal properties.