A luminescent temperature sensor based on rhodamine B on a polymer-ceramic substrate for aerothermal measurements

Abstract Temperature-sensitive paint (TSP) is a type of luminescent temperature sensor that can provide surface temperature measurements on the surface of a test article. These surface temperature measurements can be used to determine heat flux and visualize boundary layer transition on an aerodynamic body. This paper presents the static response characteristics of a TSP based on rhodamine B (RhB) applied on a polymer-ceramic supporting matrix. Six solvents with varying polarity indices were used to apply the RhB to the sensors, which were then evaluated in terms of luminescent signal level and temperature sensitivity. The results are presented and also compared to previous results for RhB on an anodized aluminum matrix. The temperature range was between 150 K and 365 K. The study confirms that the influence of the solvent on the sensor’s final characteristics is significant, and shows temperature sensitivities as high as −4.8% K −1 at 150 K when dichloromethane is used as the application solvent.