Investigating the Resilience of Ceramic Coatings for Lunar Environments

As the number of missions to land on the Moon with and without crew continues to increase, there are a plethora of factors to consider that could affect aerospace structures. Lunar dust, or lunar regolith, composed of small rock fragments, glass beads, and minerals, is transformed by years of meteorite impacts. Lunar dust is quite corrosive, abrasive, reactive and adherent, necessitating effective mitigation strategies. Ceramics have emerged as a promising material selection in the aerospace industry for structural protection due to their high strength, excellent thermal properties, and resistance to degradation. Among these ceramics, zirconia (ZrO2) is a promising material, exhibiting exceptional mechanical and thermal properties. This study evaluates the resilience of an 8-wt.% yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) ceramic coating, tested against wear and erosion to characterize its degradation over time.