Exploiting of Nano Composite Materials Technology for Revolutionary Satellite Development

Due to the cost and importance of systems that operate in space, these systems are always looking for lightweighting methods that maintain performance or add technical capabilities.  One particular technical objective that is crucial when dealing with electronics of a satellite system is electromagnetic shielding.  A key component of electrical systems is the network of shielded cables running throughout the spacecraft.  The shielding is necessary to keep the signal from escaping from the wires and to keep other signals from being added to the wires.  Currently, wires are shielded by metallic mesh or a coating that surrounds the conductor, which is a heavy solution.  A lighter weight solution is to use Carbon Nanotube paper for shielding.  San Diego Composites believes there are significant benefits to developing a technique to replace existing shielding materials in electrical wiring with Carbon Nanotube papers.  By using Carbon Nanotube paper, also called Buckypaper, instead of metals to shield electronic systems, weight and cost will be reduced.  Also, Buckypapers have the ability to improve the electrical, mechanical, and thermal capabilities of any shielded cable application.   BENEFIT: Buckypaper technology can be used for shielding of spacecraft, missiles, aircraft, etc.  The technology is not restricted to a specific program, and can be used for a multitude of applications.  Using this innovative technology has the potential to decrease weight and cost of cabling and EMI shielding throughout every system.  The specific benefits and payoffs to the Air Force for this technology are: reduced weight of shielded cables, improved EMI shielding compared to traditional methods, improved shielding coverage because of the continuous nature of the Buckypaper, increased thermal capabilities for shielded cables, lightning strike protection for shielded cables, reduced cost for shielded cables, and tighter packaging of shielded cables because of reduced volume.  Potential commercial applications specifically specified by Raytheon Missile Systems are KEI, MKV, NLOS, EKV, SM3, and SM6.