Conformal Highly Conductive Graphene Coatings with IR Transparency

Systems and Materials Research Corporation (SMRC) proposes a low cost, thermally reduced, conformal, non-line-of-sight graphene based conductive coating. Graphene has received much attention for being highly conductive and transparent in the visible and near-infrared region. To date, graphene has been expensive to produce and process. In conjunction with Texas State University San Marcos"Institute for Nanophase Research, we are co-developing low cost graphene coatings that are IR transparent. Starting with naturally occurring humic acid extracted from lignite coal, we process the material in aqueous solutions culminating in a reductive bake-out at 600 degrees C to produce 1 to 5 layer graphene films that are highly conductive and highly transmissive in the visible and 3-5m range. These films can be produced on flat or domed structures. In addition to producing graphene samples for testing, we will also model the refractive index matching needed to produce antireflective top coat or interlayers to maximize transmission and decrease reflective losses. We will measure the radio frequency (RF) attenuation from 8-110 Ghz using our in-house stock of RF transceivers.