Project description
Porous thermal armour for extreme-temperature protection
Conventional thermal protection systems cannot withstand extremely high temperature environments of more than 5 000 degrees Celsius because cooling capacity is limited in such conditions. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PASTA project aims to develop a porous thermal shield system that protects surfaces through a dual mechanism: active cooling via liquid evaporation inside the material and passive shielding through a vapour layer that forms on the hot side. To build and optimise this system, the project combines advanced computer modelling with experiments to understand how heat, liquid and vapour interact within the porous structure. Ultimately, PASTA could enable much more resilient heat shields for demanding applications such as reusable space vehicles, solar probes and fusion reactors.
Objective
"This project, PASTA, aims to revolutionise thermal protection for extreme environments (>5,000 degree Celsius) by developing a next-generation Porous Structured Thermal Armour (PSTA). Liquid coolant impacts the heated surface, facilitating rapid wicking and phase-change boiling, while generated vapor penetrates the porous substrate to form a protective thermal barrier upon the heating side. The core innovation lies in the dual-function thermal protection mechanism: PSTA will simultaneously achieve active liquid two-phase cooling and passive vapour film cooling, enabling unprecedented thermal resilience.
To achieve this, the project will establish a transformative ""prototype + method"" dual-impact paradigm. Leveraging the applicant's expertise in material-thermofluids and Prof. Wen's leadership at TUM, we will integrate advanced film cooling with state-of-the-art structured thermal armour (STA) Leidenfrost inhibition technology. A synergistic work plan combines high-fidelity multiscale numerical modelling with rigorous experimental validation using TUM's world-class facilities, to elucidate the coupling mechanisms and optimise PSTA's performance.
The successful execution of PASTA will validate the feasibility of this technology for critical applications—including high-speed reusable atmospheric vehicles, solar probes, and fusion reactors (e.g. ITER)—and establish PSTA as a benchmark system for future thermal protection technologies. This work directly addresses Horizon Europe's goals for sustainable and high-performance energy and transport systems by delivering a fundamental scientific advance with transformative technological potential."
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
80333 Muenchen
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.