The Need

Manufacturing and safe handling of military hardware is essential for the safety of our armed forces. Military hardware is often produced in advance and stockpiled for many years, wasting valuable resources. Most materials used in defense hardware are toxic, highly inflammable, and require extra care during handling, storage, and disposal. These products cannot be subjected to extreme environments and have significant manufacturing restrictions due to the nature of materials used. Currently, there is a need for military and defense materials that are safer to handle and can be quickly produced.

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University, led by Dr. Vishnu Baba Sundaresan, have developed novel composite materials toward the goal of creating military hardware that will undergo rapid exothermic reaction only when required. The proposed composite is a blend of ionomers and nano carbon materials as alternatives to contemporary hardware. This work has the potential in advancing the technology used by US Armed forces.

Commercial Applications

• Military and Defense Hardware

Benefits/Advantages

• Composites of ionomers and nano carbon materials can be 3D printed via fused deposition modeling, eliminating the need to manufacture hardware years ahead of time
• The ionomer nano carbons materials can be safely handled in open air and in hot environments, since an electrical stimulus is essential to trigger rapid exothermic reaction
• The composites can be fabricated into any shape/form factor and packaged