Increasing the functionality of military coatings using nano-dimensioned materials

The coating system presently used on military aircraft is constrained in function and limited to the use of chromate-based compounds for the mitigation of corrosion. The objective of this Multi-Disciplinary Research Initiative (MURI) is to expand the functionality of the military aerospace coating using recent advances in the materials sciences. By implementing gains in molecular and nano-engineering methods, the scientific and technological foundations will be laid for a coating that: (1) provides corrosion protection and adhesion using environmentally compliant materials, (2) senses corrosion and mechanical damage, (3) initiates mitigating responses to the sensed damage (chemical and mechanical), (4) improves fatigue resistance, (5) has the ability to change color-on-demand, and (6) provide water rejection and self-cleaning capability. The enhanced functionality of this advanced coating system will be achieved through the incorporation of: (1) a field-replaceable, nano-engineered metallic cladding, (2) the use of molecular-engineering and self-assembled colloidal crystals for packaging, sensing, color-on-demand, and super-hydrophobicity (3) the development of new approaches for the identification, encapsulation, and delivery of environmentally compliant corrosion inhibitors, and (4) the optimization of organic coating adhesion through the use of environmentally compatible surface treatments. A summary of the MURI achievements will be presented from the standpoint of time to commercial readiness.