Insulative paint

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is orphaned as few or no other articles link to it. Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. (November 2006)

This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Insulative paint is a paint containing ceramic micro-spheres that have the same heat reflective properties as the tiles on the space shuttle. These ceramic micro-spheres, with the consistency of talcum powder, make the paint insulating.

Ceramic microspheres were developed by NASA to combat the extremely high temperatures that the space shuttle experiences during reentry. The micro-spheres are hollow, and all gas has been removed, which creates a vacuum. In effect, they act as miniature thermos bottles.

The ceramic composition enables the micro-spheres to block heat radiation and dissipate heat rapidly, preventing heat transfer through the coating with 90% of solar infrared radiation and 85% of ultraviolet radiation being radiated back into the atmosphere.

This technology is very different than borosilicate glass spheres that are commonly claimed to have similar properties. The thermal conductivity of glass is very different from that of a true ceramic. Glass also lacks the strength of a ceramic sphere.