Structurally Engineered High Conductivity Carbon Microfibers for FIR Obscuration

Obscurant materials play a crucial role in protecting the Warfighter by decreasing the electromagnetic energy available for the functioning of sensors, seekers, trackers, optical enhancement devices and the human eye. Current available materials for infrared wavelength application exhibit poor obscurant performance due to the low mass extinction coefficients in the aerosolization. In this project, Luna Innovations will develop a new class of highly conductive carbon nanofibers that are precisely tailored in dimensions and conductivity for optimal performance as obscurant materials blocking the far infrared (FIR) wavelength. A unique fabrication process is proposed which allows preparing these high conductive carbon nanofibers in large scale and low cost. These carbon nanofibers with the desired dimension and morphology may accurately match the customer requirements.