Low-Cost Self-Assembly Technique for a Fully-Integrated Light-Weight Metal Rubber™ Corrosion Sensor System

NanoSonic proposes to develop a durable fully-integrated nanostructured sensor to detect surface-related phenomena, such as wear/corrosion, of military aircraft; specifically, a Metal Rubber(TM) corrosion detection system. Metal Rubber™ (MR™) is a multifunctional nanostructured material that can have high electrical-conductivity, low-modulus, and low mass-density. NanoSonic plans to integrate the non-invasive MR™ sensor system onto aircraft structures to detect chemical modifications and microstructural breakdown from corrosion. The in-situ MR™ corrosion detection system would be fully-integrated onto the aircraft surface as a coating or conformal appliqué for a self-assessing “smart” coating system that would reduce timely visual inspections, thus reducing system maintenance costs and improving the overall safety. NanoSonic has established techniques to control multiple constitutive material properties in coatings and free-standing materials using molecular layer-by-layer ESA processes, by varying the type, size, and structure of incorporated molecules. This low-cost method would be used to fabricate conformal corrosion sensor materials that could be applied on existing structural components as coatings or appliqués. MRTM sensors and interconnect elements may be incorporated into the coating (or appliqué) via patterning to allow for a wire-free, in-situ corrosion detection system. Integrating co-located interconnected RF circuits would allow for remote RF mapping of the aircraft surface structural properties.