Degradation of thermal radiative properties of variable emissivity device based on manganese oxides in simulated space environment

•Thermal radiative properties of the device based on manganese oxides were studied.•Particles irradiation experiment in simulated space environment was conducted.•The irradiation-induced degradation of the device was presented.•The degradation mechanism of thermal radiative properties was discussed.

Influence of particles irradiation, 60–1000 KeV electrons and 100 KeV protons in energy, on the thermal radiative behaviors of variable emissivity devices based on manganese oxide have been investigated. To evaluate thermal radiative degradation, the solar absorptivity, temperature-dependent reflectivity, and thermal emissivity of these devices are studied before and after particles irradiation. The thermal radiative degradation behavior in device without coating solar reflection films is reported, and the degradation mechanism is discussed. In addition, it is revealed that the thermal radiative properties of the device coated solar reflection films shows an excellent stability without degradation in simulation environment.