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Nanotubes as protection against a military laser

27.04.2013

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Kansas (Kansas State University) have demonstrated a new aerosol composition based on a mixture of carbon nanotubes and special ceramics, the coating of which can effectively absorb laser light, including combat. Such coatings, which are capable of absorbing most of the energy of the laser beam without collapsing while preventing the object they are protecting from being destroyed, are not only an effective means of protection against combat lasers, they are also used to protect sensors that measure the radiation energy of lasers used by the military to remotely detonate unexploded ordnance and explosive devices.

The basis of the new aerosol material is a material developed by NIST researchers to protect optical energy sensors, which are already being used in various industries. "We've got a really cool new shielding material," says John Lehman, a researcher at NIST. "It combines all the positive optical, thermal, and electrical properties of carbon nanotubes with the reliability and durability of high-temperature ceramics."

The new aerosol material consists of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, several nanotubes of different diameters inside each other, and a ceramic material composed of silicon, boron, carbon and nitrogen. The presence of boron in the composition of ceramics allows you to raise the temperature at which this material begins to melt and break.

To obtain a new composition, scientists mixed nanotubes with toluene, a liquid organic material, then drop by drop, with constant stirring, add a polymer material heated to a temperature of 1100 degrees Celsius, which contains boron and other substances necessary to obtain high-temperature ceramics, to this mixture. The resulting composition is heated to a high temperature, the solvent evaporates, and the resulting precipitate is ground into a fine powder, which is again mixed with a toluene-based solvent.

The researchers, using a conventional airbrush, applied a thin layer of the material to the surface of the copper and, after drying, focused a beam of a long-wavelength infrared laser, a laser used to cut metal and other hard materials, on the surface of the material. Analysis of the collected data showed that the coating successfully absorbed 97.5 percent of the laser beam energy and withstood an energy level of 15 kW per square centimeter of surface without destruction. These figures are exactly two times higher than those demonstrated by other materials based on pure nanotubes and carbon-containing coatings developed for protection from laser light.

Nanotubes and other carbon materials like graphene absorb light uniformly and transfer heat to nearby areas, lowering the temperature at the point of contact with the laser beam. Oxidation-resistant high-temperature ceramic compounds provide the protective coating with high mechanical strength and resistance to damage from high temperatures. It should be noted that the new material has a high adhesive ability, which allows it to be applied to surfaces made of different materials. In addition, the production process of the protective material is quite simple and can be done in large quantities without much difficulty.

Using an electron microscope, scientists more carefully examined the contact point of the protective coating with the laser beam. These studies showed the complete absence of the main types of material destruction, such as combustion and deformation. Only in a few small places, where the concentration of nanotubes was low, did the ceramic material melt, turning into a stable silicon dioxide, quartz glass, which, nevertheless, continued to play a protective role.

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