(The Aerospace Corporation)
There is an increasing demand for lightweight mirrors made of composite materials, but their quality and stability have not been able to match those of glass mirrors in high precision applications. The Aerospace Corporation has developed a processing method to manufacture replicated composite mirrors with high optical quality and dimensional stability under varying hygrothermal environments. This was made possible by utilizing an optimized self-assembled monolayer as a mold-release and secondary processing of the UV curable epoxy utilized in the replication process.