Super-Lightweight Active Ceramic Rubber™ for Reconfigurable Thermal Networks

NanoSonic has developed a proprietary nanostructured spray self-assembly (SSA) manufacturing technique for the production of super lightweight (0.98g/cc) conformal coatings and space tolerant structures with multiple controlled static or variable electromagnetic (EM) properties. Resultant highly thermally conductive Ceramic Rubber™ inorganic/organic hybrid nanocomposites offer homogenous thermal dissipation over large areas due to the excellent dispersion quality of the conformal networks. On-the-fly thermal control will be achieved by exploiting cryogenic shape memory polymer (SMP) based nanoporous Ceramic Rubber™ networks for high altitude reconfiguration. Additional control can be achieved via efficient utilization of the network’s coefficient of thermal expansion and Poisson’s ration. The revolutionary RTNs are expected to transmit heat, exhibit increased thermal conductivity () at lower elevations or with increased solar absorbance, and become insulating (lower ) at higher altitudes or upon reduced solar absorbance. Our nanostructured materials and high performance polymers are capable of withstanding extreme thermomechanical (-140°C, 132K to 450°C) and harsh environments (UVA, UVB, ozone). Testing shall be carried out with assistance from our defense prime partner to verify thermal control on subscale systems during Phase I and II to increase the TRL from 4-8 and on a full scale demo during Phase III to reach TRL 9.