Magnetically Targeted Microcapsules to Enhance Self-Healing Behaviour of High-Performance Polymers Designed to Withstand Moondust Environment
Guido SACCONE, Elisa TOTO, Nunzia FAVALORO, Marianna RINALDI, Maria Gabriella SANTONICOLA
Abstract. Lunar regolith dust poses a critical challenge for sustained surface operations, as its highly abrasive, sharp-edged, and electrostatically charged particles readily adhere to surfaces, degrading optical, thermal, and mechanical systems and posing health hazards to astronauts. To address this issue, the SELENE project, led by CIRA with contributions from Sapienza Università di Roma under ASI financial support, aims to develop lightweight, high-performance fluorinated co-polyimide composites engineered for passive dust mitigation and durability. The material integrates dual self-healing mechanisms: (i) an extrinsic system based on microcapsules containing UV-curable healing agents released upon mechanical damage, and (ii) an intrinsic supramolecular component capable of reversible non-covalent bonding to autonomously repair microcracks. An innovative feature of SELENE project is the magnetic manipulation of microcapsules containing Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, enabling targeted positioning before thermal imidization to enhance crack interception and surface damage protection. This multifunctional approach aims to significantly enhance longevity, survivability, wear resistance and reliability of lightweight, high-performance materials for building lunar infrastructures and allows human long-term settlement.
Keywords
Moon, Microcapsule Self-Healing, Dust Mitigation Technology, Innovative High-Performance Polymers, Space Exploration
Published online 7/20/2026, 5 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Guido SACCONE, Elisa TOTO, Nunzia FAVALORO, Marianna RINALDI, Maria Gabriella SANTONICOLA, Magnetically Targeted Microcapsules to Enhance Self-Healing Behaviour of High-Performance Polymers Designed to Withstand Moondust Environment, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 69, pp 1374-1378, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904251-239
The article was published as article 239 of the book CEAS – AIDAA Conference 2025
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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