For the time being, however, graphene and other super materials are prohibitively expensive. As part of the nationwide Materials Genome Initiative, ERDC researchers, along with colleagues at NASA, the Department of Defense, and several university laboratories, are nibbling away at this expense and improving the performance of super materials by leading a paradigm shift away from the traditional trial-and-error method of developing materials. These traditional methods consist of building a material, testing its properties, and then building it again. The new method championed by ERDC and others is a more proactive approach that is enabled by three recent technological breakthroughs:

• The ability to predict material properties before the material is built by modeling the forces between its atoms and molecules. Using supercomputers and molecular dynamic simulations, ERDC researchers are able to model the performance of polycrystalline silicon carbide – a lightweight ceramic with great structural promise – by using sophisticated multimillion-atom simulations requiring up to 200,000 computer processor hours.
• The ability to measure material response and discern the structures of materials at the molecular level, or nanoscale – a capability enabled by the development of instruments such as atomic force microscopes and scanning electron microscopes. This capability provides confirmation of the molecular dynamic simulations.
• The increasing ability to engineer the material synthesis process and to synthesize materials with prescribed molecular structures. ERDC researchers can now routinely grow carbon nanotube “forests” in their laboratories that are millimeters long, and, with their academic colleagues, have learned how to infiltrate carbon nanotubes into layered ceramic structures. They are also able to predict how the very strong crystalline structures of silicon carbide grow together during synthesis, and are looking into producing other nanotube-based structures with potential applications in energy technology, microelectronics, pharmacology, and structural engineering.

ERDC researchers’ pursuit of very-high-strength carbon nanotube fibers is long term and connects to the real world because fibers are critical elements inside very strong lightweight composites. Unlike the near-term life-saving MPS and the efficient disaster relief offered by mobile device software, ERDC’s super materials research is aimed at the second generation of super construction materials. ERDC’s engineers and scientists are laying the groundwork for rapid development of super materials that could transform the way our material world looks and functions. These super materials will have strengths greater than 10 times that of high-strength steel and could replace structural steel and aluminum with over two-thirds weight reduction, making possible lighter, stronger military aircraft and vehicles; more fuel-efficient engines; and building and bridge components that are not only fantastically stronger, but also corrosion resistant. Like many ERDC innovations, these materials will contribute to a safer, more resource-efficient future.

 

One Stop R&D

It is our nation’s toughest, most complex engineering and scientific challenges that need ERDC’s attention and resources the most. System-wide water resource problems, advanced modeling of hurricane and storm impacts on coastal areas, building military airfields in a matter of hours, providing alternative energy to remote combat outposts, dealing with invasive fish that threaten the Great Lakes, construction in polar regions, and thousands of other projects show the wide range of ERDC R&D capabilities.

“There probably aren’t any other R&D organizations in the world that have the diverse mission, the diverse capabilities, or the research expertise that ERDC brings to the table to solve the toughest problems of our nation and our armed forces,” Holland said.

“As budgets get tighter, R&D solutions will be even more valuable. There will be increased pressure to do things smarter, more cost effectively, and better in the future. I am sure ERDC will answer the call; we will provide innovative solutions for a safer, better world.”

This article first appeared in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Building Strong®, Serving the Nation and the Armed Forces 2012-2013 Edition.