Applied Nanotech Holdings have received a $275,642 contract from the U.S. Army to develop glassfibre reinforced composite (GFRP) panels to improve the protection of facilities from ballistic and blast threats, as well as from electromagnetic interference (EMI), seismic events and degradation.
The company is also developing the supplemental functionalities of surface self-decontamination, to protect against bio-chemical attacks, and novel and efficient self-healing properties, to its carbon nanotube-reinforced panels. In addition, its technology has the potential to significantly reduce the weight of GFRP panels and improve logistics.
The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Centre awarded the contract. It is the third contract awarded to Applied Nanotech for this specific project, which now totals over $825,000.
Dr. Zvi Yaniv, CEO of Applied Nanotech, Inc.
We are really starting to gain traction on our nanocomposite technology and seeing market opportunities. It was first commercialised for sporting goods, but its versatility and strength enable applications for many other applications with very large market potential, like the defense industry, we are pleased and excited to develop multifunctional, stronger, lighter protective materials for our nation’s defense forces.
Until recently, logistical requirements associated with the maintenance and repair of composite panels limited their development. Both low-rate and high-rate impacts induce delaminations, or a separation of layers of the composite material, that spread over large areas around the impact point. In conventional composites, this damage is typically repaired by removing large areas of composite, or replacing the composite part completely. The process is often expensive, time consuming, and must be performed by highly-skilled composites technicians. However, by integrating Applied Nanotech’s proprietary self-healing material system in the ballistic GFRP panels, cracks or delamination can be healed to a degree, after panels sustain damage, avoiding costly repair and replacement in many cases.
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