The Potential Challenges and Benefits of Utilizing Novel, Nanostructured and Nanoscale Materials in DoD Applications (INVITED)

Nanoscale and nanostructured materials offer unprecedented opportunities to improve on legacy energetic materials, and to achieve performance objectives that these materials cannot currently meet.  There has been great success by the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (RDECOM-ARDEC) and other organizations in formulating material systems that will provide many potential benefits to the Warfighter.  These benefits are derived from the ability to “tune” these formulations by modifying the constituent fuels and oxidizers via particle size, surface area, fuel to oxidizer ratio, etc.  Burn rates, light outputs, sensitivity, added effects after detonation, and other key parameters can be adjusted according to system requirements.  However cost, reproducibility, availability and scalability all pose major challenges to the adoption of these materials by Department of Defense customers.  This paper will discuss past and recent successes, current technological and economic roadblocks, and the various paths towards integration in multiple weapons systems.