Polymer/ceramic pressure-sensitive paint (PC-PSP), which incorporates a high percentage of particles in the binder layer, is proposed in order to improve the characteristics of PSP. The procedure for embedding particles into the binder layer was modified. In the conventional procedure, dye is adsorbed onto a polymer/ceramic coating film (denoted herein as a dye-adsorbed (D-adsorbed) PSP). In the new procedure, the mixture of a dye and particles is adsorbed onto a polymer coating film (denoted herein as the particle/dye-adsorbed (PD-adsorbed) PSP). The effect of particle mass content on PSP characteristics was investigated. In addition, the effect of solvent on PSP characteristics and film structure were evaluated for the PD-adsorbed PSP. As a result, the difference in the PSP characteristics between the two types of PSP was clarified. Although surface roughness and time response increase with increased mass content of particles for both D- and PD-adsorbed PSPs, the critical pigment volume concentration (CPVC) for the PD-adsorbed PSP is smaller than that of the D-adsorbed PSP (88 wt% and 93 wt%, respectively). The PD-adsorbed PSP has a higher frequency response comparing with the D-adsorbed PSP while maintaining the same surface roughness. Observation by scanning electron microscope showed that the CPVC of the PC-PSP is governed primarily by surface structure. The coating film structure can be roughly classified into two states depending on the particle mass content. One is a state in which the coating film consisted of two layers: a lower particle-rich layer and an upper polymer-rich layer. This type of structure was observed in the PD-adsorbed PSP as well as in the D-adsorbed PSP. In the other state, polymer and particles are homogeneously distributed in the film, and pores are formed. This difference in the coating structure results in a change in the time response.

The characteristics of fast-response pressure-sensitive paints (PSPs) in low-pressure conditions were evaluated. Three representative porous binders were investigated: polymer-ceramic PSP (PC-PSP), anodized-aluminum PSP (AA-PSP), and thin-layer chromatography PSP (TLC-PSP). For each PSP, two types of luminophores, Pt(II) meso-tetra (pentafluorophenyl) porphine (PtTFPP) and tris(bathophenanthroline) ruthenium dichloride (Ru(dpp)${}_3$), were used as sensor molecules. Pressure sensitivities, temperature sensitivities, and photodegradation rates were measured and evaluated using a pressure chamber. The effect of ambient pressure on the frequency response was investigated using an acoustic resonance tube. The diffusivity coefficients of PSPs were estimated from the measured frequency response and luminescent lifetime, and the governing factor of the frequency response under low-pressure conditions was identified. The results of static calibration show that PC-PSP/PtTFPP, AA-PSP/Ru(dpp)${}_3$, and TLC-PSP/PtTFPP have high pressure sensitivities that exceed 4%/kPa under low-pressure conditions and that temperature sensitivity and photodegradation rates become lower as the ambient pressure decreases. Dynamic calibration results show that the dynamic characteristics of PSPs with PtTFPP are dependent on the ambient pressure, whereas those of PSPs with Ru(dpp)${}_3$ are not influenced by the ambient pressure. This observation indicates that the governing factor in the frequency response under low-pressure conditions is the lifetime for PC-PSP and TLC-PSP, whereas the governing factor for AA-PSP is diffusion.

In the present study, new performance evaluation parameters for pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) were proposed, and the effects of ambient pressure on the characteristics of the PSP were evaluated. The proposed parameters allow us to determine the optimal pressure range on the basis of the following quantities: (1) the Stern–Volmer coefficient, (2) the normalized pressure sensitivity to intensity changes due to flow-induced pressure fluctuations, (3) the change in the intensity of PSP emissions in response to the given change in pressure, and (4) the signal-to-noise ratio of the change in the PSP emission intensity due to flow-induced pressure fluctuations. The characteristics of several types of PSP were evaluated using the proposed parameters. It was demonstrated that the proposed parameters enable a comparison of the effects of ambient pressure on the characteristics of PSP, and the optimal pressure range for aerodynamic measurements could be successfully identified for the different PSP.

The effects of the oxygen mole fraction on the static properties of pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) were investigated. Sample coupon tests using a calibration chamber were conducted for poly(hexafluoroisopropyl methacrylate)-based PSP (PHFIPM-PSP), polymer/ceramic PSP (PC-PSP), and anodized aluminum PSP (AA-PSP). The oxygen mole fraction was set to 0.1–100%, and the ambient pressure ($P_{\mathrm{ref}}$) was set to 0.5–140 kPa. Localized Stern–Volmer coefficient $B_{\mathrm{local}}$ increased and then decreased with increasing oxygen mole fraction. Although $B_{\mathrm{local}}$ depends on both ambient pressure and the oxygen mole fraction, its effect can be characterized as a function of the partial pressure of oxygen. For AA-PSP and PHFIPM-PSP, which are low-pressure- and relatively low-pressure-type PSPs, respectively, $B_{\mathrm{local}}$ peaks at $P_{{\mathrm{O}}_2\mathrm{ref}}<12$ kPa. In contrast, for PC-PSP, which is an atmospheric-pressure-type PSP in the investigated range, $B_{\mathrm{local}}$ does not have a peak. $B_{\mathrm{local}}$ has a peak at a relatively high partial pressure of oxygen due to the oxygen permeability of the polymer used in the binder. The peak of $S_{\mathcal{PR}}$, which is the emission intensity change with respect to normalized pressure fluctuation, appears at a lower partial pressure of oxygen than that of $B_{\mathrm{local}}$. This is because the intensity of PSP becomes quite low at a high partial pressure of oxygen even if $B_{\mathrm{local}}$ is high. Hence, the optimal oxygen mole fraction depends on the type of PSP and the ambient pressure range of the experiment. This optimal value can be found on the basis of the partial pressure of oxygen.

In this study, fast-response polymer-ceramic pressure-sensitive paints (PC-PSP) were developed and evaluated for pressure measurement under low-pressure conditions. The PC-PSP using poly[1-trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne] (poly(TMSP)), which has high oxygen permeability under low-pressure conditions, was developed in this study. The static and dynamic characteristics of the developed poly(TMSP)-based PC-PSP were evaluated in comparison with those of conventional poly(isobutyl methacrylate) (poly(IBM)) binder and ruthenium-complex-based PC-PSPs, which have been used for pressure measurements under atmospheric pressure conditions. The particle mass content of titanium dioxide of PC-PSPs with poly(TMSP) was changed from 90 wt% to 98 wt% to increase the frequency response. The critical pigment volume concentration, so called CPVC, of the PC-PSP with poly(TMSP) and hydrophobic particles and hydrophilic particles were 95–98 wt% and 90–95 wt%, respectively. The PC-PSP using hydrophilic particles with poly(TMSP) and a particle mass content of 98 wt% could provide a cut-off frequency of approximately 4.5 kHz and a high local Stern–Volmer coefficient of 0.5 at low pressure of 2 kPa.

Distributions of the pressure and mass transfer coefficient on rotating blades under low-pressure (low-Reynolds-number) conditions were visualized, whereas the latter is closely related to the skin...