SMALL CARBON PARTICLES MODIFIED BY SURFACE TREATMENT WITH ION\COBALT ALLOYS AS PIGMENT IN COATING TO REDUCE RADAR CROSS SECTION

SMALL PARTICLE COATING TECHNOLOGY RECENTLY DEVELOPED AT VERSAR, INC. MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO APPLY COBALT\IRON ALLOYS TO THE SURFACE OF SMALL CARBON PARTICLES IN AMOUNTS APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF INDIVIDUAL MAGNETIC DOMAINS. A 50\50 COBALT\IRON ALLOY IS A HIGH PERMEABILITY ALLOY THAT ALSO HAS HIGH HYSTERESIS LOSS AND AND HIGH CURIE POINT. WE BELIEVE A COMPOSITE PIGMENT PARTICLE CONSISTING OF CARBON SUBSTRATE OF 1 TO 10 MICRONS SIZE HAVING DISCRETE REGIONS OF COBALT\IRON ALLOY UPON THE SURFACE WOULD BE AN OUTSTANDING BROAD BAND RADIATION ABSORBER WHEN DISPERSED IN A DIELECTRIC BINDER MEDIUM. IT COULD BE EXPECTED TO BE EFFECTIVE OVER A WIDE RANGE OF RADR FREQUENCIES AND ALSO BE ABSORPTIVE AT THE MUCH HIGHER VISIBLE LIGHT AND INFRARED FREQUENCIES. WE PROPOSE TO DEMONSTRATE SUCH PIGMENT PARTICLES IN A 6-MONTH PROGRAM BY 1) PRODUCING A SUPPLY OF NARROW PARTICLE SIZE RANGE (1 TO 10 MICRONS) SOLID CARBON PARTICLES, 2) DEVELOP SUFFICIENT COATING PARAMETER DATA TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE 50\50 COBALT\IRON UPON THEM, 3) PRODUCE A SUPPLY OF PIGMENT PARTICLES IN THREE ALLOY RATIOS INCLUDING 50\50, 4) FABRICATE TEST COATED PLATES WITH EPOXY RESIN BINDER, AND 5) TEST FOR RADAR REFLECTANCE, COMPLEX PERITTIVITY AND PERMEABILITY FROM 450 MNZ TO 40 GHZ AND MEASURE VISIBLE LIGHT REFLECTANCE.