SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Physical Sciences, Inc. (PSI) will develop bi-spectral obscurant materials with tight dimensional control and properties that promote good pyrotechnic or pneumatic dissemination. In response to the Army requirement, PSI has fabricated copper disks with a diameter of 3 microns and controllable nanoscale thickness. During the proposed program PSI, will scale-up the fabrication of the copper disks, incorporate 2D materials as part of the copper disk structure, characterize the composite disks and measure their spectroscopic properties upon dissemination. PSI will be assisted by Prof. Owen Miller at Yale University, who will use his expertise in materials spectroscopic properties prediction to support composite disk chemistry and architecture optimization. PSI has developed and demonstrated a reusable micro-template to rapidly synthesize about 7 million copper disks per square centimeter during a deposition time of less than 10 seconds. During the Phase I effort we will optimize the thickness of the metal disks, incorporate 2D materials that will boost disk modulus, enhance spectroscopic extinction and bandwidth and provide dissemination with at least 10X Figure of Merit compared to brass flake IR obscurant. We will deliver a series of 1 gram samples to the Army for evaluation during the program.
