Kirigami-based metamaterials with tunable properties for large, lightweight, and cost-effective parabolic antennas for space applications. Problem: Parabolic antennas used in space currently have a maximum diameter of about 20m. Larger antennas (e.g., with diameters of up to 100 m) would be highly beneficial, but launching such large payloads presents significant technical and economic hurdles. Robotic assembly in space is a potential solution and requires designs with lower mass compared with current approaches. Lowering the mass of the structural trusses requires reflectors with lower pretension than the typical ~ 5 N/m used in metal fabric reflectors. Solution: Stretchable thin films with linear perforations (Kirigami metamaterials) can serve as reflectors with minimal prestress for large radio frequency (RF) parabolic antennas. Compared to unperforated films, the Kirigami perforation pattern enhances the reflector’s ability to withstand large strains and reduces the prestress needed to compensate for the thermal strain in space. Here, a new Kirigami pattern that is optimized for antenna reflectors is proposed. Technology: The Kirigami pattern consists of a repeating 2-dimensional array of unit cells, each containing two types of cuts: axial and diagonal. Axial cuts are located orthogonally to each other, forming a so-called rotating square pattern. Additionally, two diagonal cuts that intersect at the center of this square are used, creating four smaller triangular sections within each unit cell. The diagonal cuts further increase the stretchiness of the film and allow it to stretch independently in two in-plane directions. Despite a trade-off between minimizing prestress and maximizing reflectance, many geometries offer reflectance of >90% and prestress of <0.5N/m. Advantages:
Stage of Development:
The perforated films with rotating squares used as reflectors have tunable Poisson’s ratio. Intellectual Property:
Reference Media: Desired Partnerships:
Docket #25-10856