Sofiia Goncharuk

Sofiia Goncharuk

Biography

Born and raised in Ukraine, Sofiia Goncharuk moved to the United States at 16. She has a
passion for creating a more sustainable and accessible future for communities and ecosystems.
Now a rising junior at Stevens Institute of Technology studying Mechanical Engineering, Sofiia
is passionate about clean solar and fusion energy, and nanotechnology, and plans to pursue a PhD.
During her freshman summer, Sofiia completed an REU at ASPIRE NSF, working on thermal
management for high-power EV charging stations and exploring the cooling capabilities of phasechange
materials. At MIT, Sofiia works in NECSTLab, developing carbon nanotube-polysiloxane
thermal protection ablative materials used as the outer layers of spacecraft during atmospheric
reentry. Outside of research, Sofiia volunteers at her local church, raising money for people in need
in Ukraine. On campus, Sofiia is active in numerous organizations, and she helped establish a new
sustainability-focused Living Learning Community. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, hiking,
paddleboarding, and being outside.

Carbon Nanotubes –Polysiloxane Nanocomposites for Thermal Protection System
Sofiia Goncharuk1, Palak B. Patel2, Brian L. Wardle2,3
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology
2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Polysiloxane resins such as ultra-high temperature resin (UHTR) show strong promise as ablative
materials in thermal protection systems (TPS) for the outermost heat shield layers of atmospheric
reentry vehicles. Effective TPS ablatives must exhibit low density, low thermal conductivity, high
temperature resistance, and the ability to form a stable char layer during reentry heating. Fiberreinforced
polymer composites are the industry standard for TPS applications due to their strengthto-
weight ratios. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) represent a promising next-generation reinforcement
over traditional carbon microfibers, offering superior specific strength, thermal stability, tunable
electrical and thermal properties. The Bulk Nanocomposite Laminating (BNL) process has enabled
the manufacture of CNT-polysiloxane (CNT-PS) nanocomposites with uniformly aligned CNTs
at high volume fractions. However, no validation testing of these materials under TPS conditions
has been performed. This project addresses that gap by manufacturing multi-ply CNT-PS
nanocomposite laminates and subjecting them to the principal TPS characterization tests: ablative,
emissivity, and micrometeoroid laser-induced particle impact testing. Together, these tests will
establish the first experimental validation for CNT-PS nanocomposites as ablative TPS materials.
Given their lightweight nature and exceptional mechanical properties, successful validation would
position CNT-PS nanocomposites as a novel material for next-generation spacecraft, reducing heat
shield mass and lowering manufacturing costs.