Materials Science Quest: Lighter, Stronger, More Affordable
Better, stronger, smarter and longer-lasting materials can make the difference on today’s battlefield – many fundamental changes in warfighting capabilities have sprung from new or improved materials.
Beginning in the early 1960s, DARPA inaugurated the field of materials science by integrating engineering principles with chemical design.
Today, DARPA’s materials programs range from the design of novel materials with radically improved or new properties to innovative processing methods that dramatically reduce the cost of producing titanium metal and its alloys.
Nature as Inspiration
Nature has provided a limitless range of special abilities, materials and systems as sources of research inspiration – insects’ ability to fly, a gecko’s ability to climb, the glue that allows barnacles to stick to a surface, the optic ability of fish and insects. Nature is just one of the resources that DARPA looks to when developing new and better materials technologies.
Titanium is strong, lightweight and highly resistant to corrosion. With new extraction processes, titanium could be an affordable option for all military structure and transport needs. EXPLORE MORE DARPA Initiative in Titanium, Disruptive Manufacturing, Negative Index Materials, Next Generation Super Carbon Fiber, Prognosis
Composite materials used in the armor of some mine resistant vehicles (MRAPs) have significantly decreased the number of casualties from mine and other attacks. EXPLORE MORE Hardwire® DARPA Armor, Armor Challenge, Chemical Robots , Instant Fire Suppression, Polymer Ice, Reactive Material Structures
Fracture Putty material is intended to provide load-bearing capabilities to patients with bone fractures, restoring patients’ ability to walk while normal healing takes place. EXPLORE MORE Fracture Putty, Engineered Bio-Molecular Nano-Devices/Systems, Z-Man
Leo Christodolou, Acting Director, Defense Sciences Office, discusses materials science.
