Synthesis and Structure of Vanadium–Lead Coatings for Outer Space Structures

This study aimed to develop a technology for synthesizing non-degrading porous coatings that remain stable under the conditions of outer space. Using the magnetron sputtering method, we obtained vanadium-lead system coatings over a wide range of mutual concentrations from 6 to 44.9 at. % Pb. X-ray and electron microscopic studies were conducted on the obtained coatings. As a result of the research, a dependence of the film structure on changes in the lead concentration in vanadium was demonstrated. A correlation between the lead concentration in vanadium, the size of the resulting crystallites of solid solutions, and the change in the lattice parameter of the solid solution depending on the lead concentration in the coating was identified. A new possibility of producing porous vanadium coatings through vacuum annealing of the obtained alloy-based coatings in the V-Pb system was shown.