Scalable and Continuous Synthesis of Brominated Graphitic Fibers

We aim to develop two scalable and continuous manufacturing processes for the production of highly conductive brominated graphitic fibers each for a dedicated wavelength regime. Cost-effective aerosol particles are an essential part for the signal management and obscuration of multi-million-dollar equipment that is required to go undetected by enemies trying to locate the WarfighterÆs position. The ability of a fibrous material to obscure is dependent on the signal used to probe the WarfighterÆs position, which in turn depends on the dimensions and inherent conductivity of the aerosolized fibers. In general, fibers with a high aspect ratio and high conductivity are excellent obscurant materials. A lightweight obscurant with these properties would also allow it to be easily aerosolized. In the past decade, attention has been given to lightweight graphitic material, owing to its modest conductivity. While graphitic fibers have the advantage of being readily aerosolized, the conductivity and thus obscuration ability is much lower than metal particles of similar dimensions, the latter being much heavier and prone to settle quickly once aerosolized. It is therefore critical that scalable methods are developed to produce graphitic fibers with high conductivity capable of scattering across the electromagnetic spectrum. We intend to develop two approaches for the fabrication of highly conductive brominated graphite fibers for obscuration, with one approach dedicated to the infrared regime and the other approach for the centimeter-wave regime.