Extremely Thin and Flexible Electromagnetic Shielding for High Temperature Applications

OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Hypersonics; Microelectronics; Advanced Materials The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. OBJECTIVE: Develop lightweight, extremely thin electromagnetic shielding capable of defending from 20MHz to 20GHz at a level of 48 dB or higher. Shielding must be suitable for hypersonic applications, to include thermal considerations. DESCRIPTION: Hypersonic interceptors have multiple systems that utilize internal capacitors, batteries and power conditioning. All of these components give off electromagnetic interference (EMI) that can interact in unintended fashions. Hypersonic flight itself also is a large contributor of EMI, which can have unwanted effects on internal systems. Extremely thin and lightweight material that is capable of efficiently blocking this interference while contributing minimally to the mass or internal volume used is crucial for effective hypersonic capability. PHASE I: Design and develop innovative solutions, materials, and/or concepts to implement electromagnetic interference protection for internal components during all stages of flight. The solution should contrive novel uses of contemporary technologies, utilize new innovative materials or capture key areas for new development. PHASE II: Complete a detailed prototype design incorporating government performance requirements. Coordinate with the government during prototype design and development to ensure that the delivered products would be relevant to an ongoing missile defense architecture and data types and structures. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Scale-up the capability from the prototype utilizing the new technologies developed in Phase II into a mature, full scale, fieldable capability. Work with missile defense integrators to integrate the technology into a missile defense system level test-bed and test in a relevant environment. REFERENCES: H. Wang et al., "Transparent Ultrathin Doped Silver Film for Broadband Electromagnetic Interference Shielding," 2018 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Workshop Series on Advanced Materials and Processes for RF and THz Applications (IMWS-AMP), Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 2018, pp. 1-3, doi: 10.1109/IMWS-AMP.2018.8457129. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8457129 Norikazu Chikyu, Takayuki Nakano, Gunther Kletetschka, Yoku Inoue,Excellent electromagnetic interference shielding characteristics of a unidirectionally oriented thin multiwalled carbon nanotube/polyethylene film,Materials & Design,Volume 195,2020,108918,ISSN 0264-1275, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2020.108918. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127520304524 KEYWORDS: Electromagnetic; shielding; EMI, interference; materials; signals