2011 NanoTechnology for Defense Conference November 2011 Bellevue, Washington

Government Only Session

Session Chairs: Mr. Don Shiffler, AFRL; Dr. Keith Perkins, NRL; and Dr. Randy Mrozek, ARL

Trends in nanotechnology indicate that this technology area will continue to play an important role in the development of DoD systems for many years in the future. Applications range from electronic materials, to optical materials, to structures. The government-only session seeks to provide a format for government researchers to discuss their research with other DoD members in a highly technical environment. While any area in nanotechnology for DoD applications is of interest, the government only session focuses on the five areas enumerated below.

Plenary Session: Emerging Technologies

Chairs: Dr. Rick Beyer, U.S. Army Research Laboratory;
and Dr. John Busbee, Air Force Research Laboratory

National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, Dr. Sally S. Tinkle
Department of Energy, Dr. Arun Majumdar
Air Force Research Laboratory, Speaker TBA
Duke University, Prof. David Smith

Metamaterials Session

Session Chairs: Ms. Laura Rea, Air Force Research Laboratory; and
Dr. Vladimir Shkunov, Raytheon Corporation

Metamaterials has emerged as a rapidly rising fields of physics and material science. Metamaterials have the potential for high payoff “disruptive” advances in key military and commercial technologies, enabling significant decreases in RF aperture size and weight, improved signal gain, and flat optical components. Although there has been much media attention to the field of metamaterials, evaluating the promise of negative or zero refractive index materials, sub-wavelength resolution imaging, invisibility cloaks, “optical black holes”, this session will focus on nearer-term application potential - incorporating several aspects of metamaterials research and development. The state-of-the-art in the field will be reviewed by recognized technology leaders from industry, government and academia, along with their perspective of future developments. The presentations will span theory, fabrication and systems application, covering both the realm of optical and radio frequency (RF) metamaterials. An electromagnetic metamaterial is an engineered structure that exhibits novel synthetic magneto-dielectric constitutive properties which are derived from the structural arrangement of sub-wavelength components within the material. In addition, a discussion of manufacturing technology for metamaterials, including sub-materials selection, engineering for fine structure elementary cells, material growth processes, and scaling technology to bulk metamaterial layers will be incorporated.

Verification and Validation Models for Nanomanufacturing Session

Session Chair: Dr. Khershed Cooper, Naval Research Laboratory; and
Dr. Ryan Hatcher, Lockheed Martin Corporation

The manufacture of components from nanoscale materials and by processes with nanoscale precision is the essence of nanomanufacturing. Moreover, to be practical, a nanomanufacturing process must be reliable, repeatable, scalable, affordable, and the engineered product, durable. It must also comply with the rules governing systems engineering, including verification to determine if the component was produced within specifications (quality control), and validation to determine if the component accomplishes its intended function (quality assurance). This session will discuss the challenges of verification and validation for several of the nanomanufacturing processes in current industrial practice and those still in the early stages of research.

Multi-functional Structures & Technology Insertion Session

Session Chairs: Dr. Suraj Rawal, Lockheed Martin Corporation;
Dr. Edward Silverman, Northrop Grumman; and
Dr. Eric Wetzel, Army Research Laboratory

Innovative multifunctional material forms and low-cost, integrated structural design concepts have the potential to enhance overall aerospace systems performance. Implementation of multiple functions into the structure provides the opportunity for miniaturization by eliminating the need for redundant systems. Hence, a structure that can also perform other functions can result in significant weight savings due to the multitasking of the structural elements. Therefore, multifunctional hybrid structures can eliminate redundancy, improve structural efficiency, reduce size and weight, and simplify the overall systems by eliminating excess hardware. Simplification of the structures can also reduce the time and costs associated with assembly and maintenance.

Exploitation of nanotechnology is seen as providing a pathway for achieving multifunctionality. Developing multifunctional nanocomposite materials that permit manipulation of material properties at the nanometer dimension scale has the potential to achieve a synergistic combination of properties, such as thermal conductivity, radiation/EMI shielding, ESD mitigation, damping, optical/RF reflectivity, and energy storage and power generation.

This session will focus on the development and implementation of materials and design concepts for the production of multifunctional enabled structures and systems. Examples of the successful translation of laboratory breakthroughs to robust, cost effective, and manufacture-proven components will also be provided.

Nanostructured & Biological Materials for Devices Session

Session Chairs: Dr. Jennifer Becker, US Army Research Laboratory;
Dr. Jeff Stuart, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories; and Dr. Brandy White, US Naval Research Laboratory

Nanotechnology innovation has greatly enhanced both military and civilian applications in areas including but not limited to electronics, sensors, energy harvesting, smart materials, and medicine/therapeutics. Many novel composite materials with unique physical and chemical properties consist of biological molecules immobilized on an abiological surface. These hybrid materials merge distinct features of the individual biological/abiological components, such as spectroscopic, electronic, or catalytic properties, to yield novel materials with unique or improved functionality. A variety of factors can influence the overall function of the material such as immobilization conditions, surface and environmental properties at the interface, and interaction of the biological/abiological components. This session will focus on synthetic and characterization strategies towards the design and understanding of structure-function relationships of complex hybrid nanostructures including biomimetic/bio-hybrid nanostructures and their applications.

Environmental Safety and Occupational Health Issues for Nanomaterials

Session Chairs: Dr. Rob MacCuspie, National Institute Standards & Technology;
Dr. Linda Duschl, Boeing Research & Technology; and
Dr. Carole Leblanc, Office of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Installations & Environment

Nanomaterials are being incorporated into products to realize the promise of improved materials properties. However, new material properties inherently raise concerns of new environmental, safety, and occupational health (ESOH) risks. Interdisciplinary approaches are the key to success in identifying and mitigating these risks, by combining the expertise necessary such as toxicologists, biologists, chemists, physicists, materials scientists, environmental and process engineers. Understanding the structure-property-activity relationships between nanomaterials and their surrounding matrix (be that product manufacturing, environmental or biological conditions) will lead to better predictive tools for future nanomaterials. Additionally, identifying the transformations, transport, and fate of nanomaterials through environmental and occupational settings for currently employed nanomaterials should be a current priority. Use of this understanding could enable assignment of broad classes of risk (low risk/likely safe, moderate risk/unsafe in certain cases, high risk/unsafe in many cases) to help accelerate deployment of nanomaterial products and facilitate better ESOH management. Lessons learned from previous industries dealing with novel material property risks will also be addressed.