A Novel Anti-Relaxation Material Applied in Miniaturized Atomic Spin Gyroscope

In the process of miniaturizing atomic spin gyroscopes, the relaxation due to the wall collisions of the alkali vapor cell leads to a shorter transverse relaxation time, which increases the key index of the atomic spin gyroscope, the angle random walk (ARW), and reduces the gyroscope’s accuracy. This article theoretically analyzes the thermal stability of the interaction between the new anti-relaxation coating and molecules of the vapor cell, as well as the surface energy of the anti-relaxation coating molecular groups. Based on the results, a new anti-relaxation coating material and its preparation process were proposed. A novel anti-relaxation coating was experimentally prepared. The compositional analysis confirmed its successful covalent bonding with hydroxyl groups on the cell’s inner surface, demonstrating superior thermal stability. Through comparative experiments, including surface morphology analysis, contact angle measurement, and transverse relaxation time measurement, the new anti-relaxation coating proposed in this article exhibits lower surface energy. It also has more excellent anti-relaxation performance compared to the traditional octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) anti-relaxation coating.