Maicom Phiiiips
Nano Defence
Technology
Whether military nanotechnology is
science fiction or fact depends on
where you look on the broad spec-
trum from materials with engi-
neered nanoscale structures to
self-replicating virus-like killer
robots. The former are with us now,
while the latter remain in the fever-
ish dreams of enthusiasts and
prophets of doom. And there is
much in R&D in between.
Nanotechnology
The term nanotechnology can apply to any-
thing that involves the manipulation of par-
ticles that have at least one dimension that
measures 100 nanometres (nm) or less. A
nanometre is one billionth of a metre.
Ultimately, nanotechnology involves synthe- MIT engineers have developed a nanoscale biological coating that can halt bleeding nearly
sising materials, structures and machines instantaneously, an advance that could dramatically improve survival rates for soldiers
from individual atoms and molecules. injured in battle. (Graphic: MIT)
and more fuel-efficient engines, batteries with Lockheed Martin subsidiary Applied
US nuclear physicist Richard P. Feynman is greater storage capacity, and more efticient Nanostructured Solutions (ANS) has devel-
usually credited with the idea of engineering at conversion of solar energy into electricity, etc. oped a way to grow Carbon Nanostructures
the atomic scale, expressed in his 1959 lecture (CNS) directly onto substrates using a 'continu-
to the American Physical Society. Professor ous and production-scalable process' that
Norio Taniguchi of Tokyo University of Science Nanotube Radio enables the incorporation of a tuneable per-
is said to have coined the term nanotechnology In 2008, Northrop Grumman announced the centage of CNS into composites. ANS can also
in 1974 to describe semiconductor-processing first fully functional all-carbon nanotube transis- grow CNS on other substrates such as ceram-
techniques such as thin film deposition and ion tor radio. Developed with the University of ics and metals.
beam milling capable of producing nanoscale Illinois at Urbana Champaign, it demonstrated CNS-infused fibres and materials, says the
features. It entered the popular imagination via that carbon nanotubes can work as high-speed company, enable next-generation composite
K. Eric Drexler's 1986 book "Engines of transistors, while consuming one-thousandth materials with enhanced mechanical properties
Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology. " of the power needed by current transistors, and metal-like thermal and electrical conductiv-
Inevitably, nanotechnology joined nuclear says the company, which could extend radio ity. Applications include electromagnetic
weapons and genetic engineering on the pop- battery lives from days to weeks. shielding and electrostatic discharge protection
ular list of things to fear from science. for electronics, light, conductive laminates for
Richard A L Jones, a professor of physics at EMI and lightning strike protection, and injec-
Sheffield University, and a fellow of the Royal There are carbon nanotubes, fullerenes and tion mouldable conductive thermoplastics.
Society and senior strategic advisor for nan- nano-foams, but now researchers have Initial target markets include commercial air-
otechnology to the UK's Engineering and discovered yet another new type of carbon craft, rotorcraft, spacecraft, marine craft, and
Physical Sciences Research Council, argues material: colossal carbon tubes. Thousands ground vehicles. In August 2011, for example
that to synthesise nanomachines, scientists of times bigger than their nano counter- ANS announced that its CNS-infused fibre had
and engineers would have to understand how parts, these tubes have exceptional been used in supports that prevent thermal
nature copes with the unfamiliar forces that mechanical and electrical properties and blanketing from interfering with solar array sup-
dominate at tiny scales. Advanced nanotech- could find applications from microelectric ports on the JUNO spacecraft launched
nologies could enable very small insect-like devices to bullet-proof body armour. towards Jupiter on 05 August 2011.
military robots. "They might be used to more- In February, Zyvex Technologies launched a
preciseiy localise individual targets hiding in the molecularly engineered rubber, ZyMER, rein-
midst of civiiians - even within the same build- forced with carbon nanotubes for tougher belts
ings," said a 2011 Rand report warning of and gaskets and more efficient tyres. Zyvex
'iooming discontinuities' in US military strategy also incorporates carbon nanotubes into the
and defence planning. resin matrices of carbon fibre reinforced plastic
Meanwhile, the military and the defence materials using its proprietary KENTERA
industry are excited by the nearer term poten- binder. Zyvex Marine uses such materials in the
tial of other aspects of the technology, such as hulls of unmanned surface vessels.
nanostructured materials. These promise
stronger and lighter vehicles and aircraft,
tougher armour, better protective clothing, 'Corn Starch' Armour
faster computers with more memory, more Scientists from the Singapore Agency for
capable and cheaper sensors, more powerful Science, Technology and Research's Institute
76 Miiitary Technoiogy • MiLTECH • 5/2012
of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) specific groups or individuals. " Set against this
have teamed with the National University of however, would be the ability of sensitive,
Smart Protective Clothing
Singapore (NUS) to patent a polymer-based selective and inexpensive sensors and Under SRA 01, the ISN is particularly inter-
composite material that is normally soft and materials to detect and bind components of ested in nanoscale coatings, core-shell and
flexible but stiffens on impact - as a solution of CBRN weapons. rod-rod nanostructures, carbon nanotubes,
corn starch does. It could replace the steel The report expressed doubt about nan- fibres, fabrics, layered and membrane struc-
plates that soldiers often where under Kevlar otechnology's ability to improve nuclear tures for use in surface treatments for clothing
armour, said IMRE and NUS researchers, weapons, citing the need for a critical mass of that could protect soldiers from chemical or
announcing the breakthrough in July 2010. fissile material. However, it did suggest that it biological weapons. "Surface functionalisation
Capable of dissipating high impact energies, might enhance peripherals including arming of textiles using layers of nanoscale thickness
say the researchers, the composite consists of and triggering systems, heat and radiation imparts virtually no weight to the garment but
a polymer and a combination of other materials shielding while furthering miniaturisation. adds the capability to introduce controlled
engineered to absorb energy through a shear- Nanotechnology might also help create a activity towards specific threats." says the ISN.
thickening mechanism. Other materials use this 'fourth-generation nuclear bomb', which would The organisation has developed advanced
principle, but IMRE and NUS have patented a be a low-yield "clean" fusion weapon contain- chemical vapour deposition and layer-by-layer
method that eliminates the need for foam ing little or no fissile material, which could be treatments that enable self-assembly or post-
encapsulation and improves flexibility. used in earth-penetrating missiles. treatment of fibres to give them the desired
Nanotechnology is also the subject of The report also quoted prominent military functionality.
increasing international collaboration, and in nanotechnology researcher Dr Jürgen Altmann
October 2009, the French National Centre for who warned of destabilising effects of auto-
Scientific Research (CNRS), Singapore's mated decision making: "Unintended action- Situatlonal Awareness Tools
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and reaction cycles might evolve between oppo- Also under SRA 01, ISN is investigating
Thaïes announced the establishment of CIN- nents' systems of warning and attack. " he said, semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots
TRA, a joint international research unit. Based warning that there was no evidence defensive (ODs) and their use in opto-electronics and
in Singapore, CINTRA researches nanotech- superiority, therefore, "counter-attack and pre- molecular sensing. Potentially, QD technology
nologies for electronics, photonics, and related ventive attack will likely play an important role in could lead to large, light, nanometer thin, flexi-
applications. armed conflict. " ble photodetectors (in both IR and visible
In October last year, EADS announced plans Since then, much military R&D in the public bands), light emitters, and memory devices that
to co-operate with Russia's Rusnano for R&D domain has focused on protecting soldiers in could be networked and incorporated into sol-
in nanotech-related fields including energy the asymmetric counterinsurgency warfare that dier situational awareness tools.
efficiency, new materials, life science, and has dominated the last decade. Ouantum dots could also be used in bio-
security. medical monitoring or chem-bio threat detec-
tion, says ISN, exploiting their potential as 'flu-
Soldier Nanotechnologies orescent reporters' of local nanoscale environ-
NATO CBRN Worries In 2002, the US Army joined forces with the ments. Coupled with appropriate chemistry,
A wide-ranging report to the NATO Massachusetts Institute of Technology to form ODs can be integrated as reversible sensors of
Parliamentary Assembly in 2005 listed many the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies their molecular environment, says the organisa-
potential applications of nanotechnology, but (ISN), which is working on five Strategic tion.
highlighted worries about chemical and biolog- Research Areas (SRAs). SRA 1 covers light-
ical weapons, arguing that nanotechnology weight nanostructured fibres and materials;
could considerably enhance delivery mecha- SRA 2 is looking into systems of nanotechnolo- Carbon Nanotube Sensors
nisms: "The ability of nanoparticles to penetrate gies for soldier protection; SRA 3 is investigat- Under the third of SRA 01 's themes, ISN is
the human body and its cells could make ing blast and ballistic protection; SRA 4 focus- researching inexpensive, robust, and low-
biological and chemical warfare much more es on CBRN agents and lEDs; while SRA 05 is power optical and chemical sensors based on
feasible, easier to manage and to direct against concerned with systems integration. carbon nanotubes. Such sensors, says ISN,
would greatly enhance a soldier's capability to
identify potential threats through improved
Nano research is being conducted in order to strengthen materials, including materials night vision and IFF systems. Carbon nan-
components, structures and systems, mechanical testing and materials failure otubes' structure and geometry are ideal for
mechanisms, blast wave interactions with complex materials, including human tissues, imaging and detection, says ISN, because they
and ultra fast optical diagnostics of shock propagation and shock-induced damage in are essentially a conducting surface rolled into
solids. Soldier benefits will be new fundamental understanding: to inform the design a nanoscale active wire.
of lightweight materials and structures to provide superior blast protection; Using vertical growth techniques borrowed
and to illuminate means to prevent blast-induced injury to humans and structures. from the microelectronics industry, ISN
researchers are investigating large-scale pro-
cessing strategies for carbon nanotubes and
their integration onto a single chip.
Electronic fibres
ISN is also researching how to make elec-
tronic and optoelectronic devices from a new
family of fibres that incorporate conductors,
insulators and semiconductors and can be
drawn into kilometre lengths.
Work under this theme (1.4: multimaterial,
multifunctional fibres), is initially focused on sin-
gle-function devices including: wavelength-
scalable hollow-core transmission fibres, res-
Malcom Phillips, with 25 years of experience as a jour-
naiist and writer covering aerospace and defence
technoiogy and operations, is a reguiar contributor to
MT.
.. —^-Miiitary [Link] • MILTECH 5/2012 77
chain polymers with pendant groups at strate- researchers, for example, is working on the sci-
gic sites along the polymer axis, giving them a ence that underpins non-RF, fabric-enabled
resemblance to parallel strands of molecular communications, including a laser-to-uniform
barbed wire. The combination of chain stiffness communications system. Key questions
and eventual interference among the pendant include behaviour of multi-material optical
groups (the barbs) provides multiple mecha- fibres in terms of response time, sensitivity and
nisms for uptake of mechanical energy while noise management. Also under investigation is
supporting substantial deformation, both with- the incorporation of the fibres into fabrics,
out structural failure, says ISN. along with the hardware and software needed
Another group of nanostructured materials, to link them to a data acquisition system, and
low-density metal alloys, are the subject of SRA the reliability of information transmission and
3.3. The concept is that these materials could recovery.
Copper structure shown here is a be fabricated into lightweight and flexible
precursor material for explosive assemblies such as truss-like structures and
compounds used in military detonators. woven arrays that could make eftective and
EU Assessment of
The copper structure can be formed on comfortable body armour. Teciinoiogy Readiness Levels
chips, then converted to an explosive SRA 4 researchers are looking to improve About a year ago, EU body Observatory
compound. The compound is being used the detection of hazardous substances and Nano (ON) released a tabular assessment of
to improve US Navy detonator devices. devices and means to protect soldiers from Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) for vari-
(Photo: Georgia Tech) them. One theme focuses on difterent means to ous nanotechnologies in a range of broad
obtain nano-scale polymeric coatings that pro- applications, many of which would have obvi-
vide specific protective functions. Here, ISN is ous military value. The TRL scale ON used is a
onators, transverse surface emifting fibre researching the ability of nanometric layers to simplified five-point version of fhe nine-point
lasers, thermal and optical fibre detectors and control a surface's ability to aftract or repel scheme used in defence circles. In both
piezoelectric fibres. This technology, says ISN, water and fo mitigate chemical and biological schemes, TRL 1 indicates that the idea is at the
could result in smart fabrics with 'system level threats. It is also investigating funcfional and stage of basic scientific research; TRL 2 tech-
sophistication'. switchable nanocoatings that could be inte- nologies are the subjects of applied research,
grated into portable biosensors to detect tox- with the simplified classification encompassing
ins. levels 2 to 5 of the military scheme; TRL 3 cov-
Smart Eiastomeric iVlembranes Another SRA 4 theme ('Ultrasensitive ers prototyping work at what would be levels 6
A further smart materials theme under SRA 1 Nanoengineered Chemical Detectors') focuses and 7 for the military; while TRLs 4 and 5 of
is the development of new elastomers that can on sensing and characterization of substances ON's scale represent market entry and market
change shape, expand, contract or alter their with identifiable chemical signatures. This maturity respectively, matching levels 8 and 9
stiffness, damping or compliance properties involves manipulation of nano-scale features of on the defence scale.
when exposed to light, electrical fieids, temper- materials to achieve specificity, spatial resolu- Mastering nanocomposites and nanostruc-
ature changes and chemical agents. The idea is tion, convenience, reduced power demand, tured metals, for example, would potentially
that these would fill the performance gap multi-functionality, or combinations thereof. open the way to lightweight, low cost vehicles.
between strong, rigid materials, and materials One project team is working on a fluores- ON rated the TRL of nanocomposites at
such as polymer gels that can respond to such cence microscope capable of chemically map- between 2 and 5 depending on the specific
stimuli but lack strength and toughness. ping surfaces to a lateral resolution of 5 materials involved, citing a number of barriers
Potential applications include membranes for nanometres. Another seeks to nano-engineer to commercialisation including cost, availability
temperature management and chemical/bio- zero-power-demand crystals that respond to of good quality large parts, robustness of new
logical agent protection that open or close on specific vapours by changing colour. The idea materials and amenability for automated large
demand. Critical technologies include new is to deliver these crystals to suspect areas, scale production. The position for nanostruc-
functional materials with field-responsive side warning soldiers of chemical hazards without tured metals ON rated similarly, assessing
or main chains, and nanocomposite blends of their having to enter the contaminated zone. small components such as screws at 4-5 and
these new materials with inorganic nanoparti- medium to large parts at 2-3, held back by high
cles. production costs, technical limitations on the
Nano Origami for production of larger parts and, as with
Muitifunction Sensors nanocomposites, lack of facilities for large
Combat Casuaity Care SRA 4.3 is working realise Nanostructured scale production.
SRA 2 is researching improvements in med- Origami, a proprietary fabrication and assembly Silicon nanowires as replacements for
ical and combat casualty care in the field. process successfully demonstrated with ISN graphite in the negative electrodes of lithium
These include nano-enabled materials and support. It is a method of manufacturing multi- batteries promise to improve both power den-
devices that could be activated, on the scene layered three-dimensional nano-systems by sity and service life, but ON rated its TRL at 1-
or remotely, by qualified medical personnel, by folding them from two-dimensional surfaces. 2, citing incomplete understanding of the sci-
the soldier and even autonomously, with The process involves etching a nanoscale pat- ence, absent mastery of the material and pro-
appropriate override facilifies. Research project tern onto a functional two-dimensional mem- duction processes.
examples include polymer actuators for impart- brane and then folding sections of it in Nano coatings and lubricants promise to
ing rigidity-on-demand - for splinting wounds sequence. boost energy efficiency and cut emissions from
or preventing adverse movements after head or This can form complex geometries and petrol engines, diesels and gas turbines for all
neck injury, for example. multi-layered devices in a single step and is types of vehicles. ON pointed out that large
well suited to the integration of multiple chemi- investments are still necessary, particularly for
cal, biological, electrical, optical, mechanical application to large components in production,
Baiiistic and Biast Protection and other modalities, says ISN. It is a key estimating the TRL at 3-4. Other rated nan-
SRA 3 is accelerating research into nan- enabling technology in numerous light, low- otechnologies included graphene at 1-2.
otechnologies with potential to protect soldiers cost sensing and threat detection systems. Graphene is a form of carbon that comes in
from blast and ballistic threats. Combining the sheets a single atom thick and has potential
technologies of synthetic chemistry, computa- applications in 'beyond silicon' electronics for
tionally informed molecular design, and poly-
Communicative Ciothing displays, photovoltaic cells along with strong
mer processing, ISN researchers aim to create ISN's fifth strategic research area is the cre- and conductive composite materials.
a new generation of light, soft materials with ation and exploitation of nano-scale materials Clearly, some nanotechnologies will prove
potentially dramatic improvements in energy and devices and understanding their behaviour disruptive in both civil and military arenas, but
absorption. These materials will consist of sfiff within integrated systems. One group of the field is still young. ^¿^3^i\
78 Miiitary Technoiogy • MiLTECH • 5/2012
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