Nontoxic Biodegradable Nanomaterials and Biomaterials Signature Reduction

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop biodegradable obscurants operating over a wide wavelength range (infrared to millimeter wave) using variants of an electroactive polymer. High aspect ratio fibers of the polymer in the size range necessaryto provide broad spectrum coverage will be produced through a technique called electrospinning. The degradation of the polymer will be enhanced through blending with a chemically biodegradable polymer. Calculations show that the conductivity needed toachieve the needed extinction coefficient is within the range of the polymeric blend we propose. In this proposal we demonstrate the theoretical basis by which we believe we can achieve the desired extinction cross section of 4 m2/g, illustrate thesynthetic methods that will be used to produce these materials and electrospin them into the desired forms, and describe the methods that will be used to characterize the material properties in terms of the extinction requirement.The proposed nontoxicbiodegradable obscurant material will provide a safe alternative to conventional aluminum obscurant materials. This novel polymeric material will be completely washed away upon exposure to a large amount of water, such as in a rainfall, therebyeliminating the chance of ingestion or inhalation by humans or animals.