SBIR Phase I: Novel Three Dimensional Flocked Carbon Fiber Microwave Absorbers

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将支持非导电，磁加载，碳纤维（CF）复合微波吸收剂的开发，表征和商业化。制造商使用吸收剂来保护其产品免受不必要的电磁干扰（EMI），并满足联邦通信委员会（FCC）的法规和标准。来自外部和内部源的EMI会降低电子设备的操作和性能。随着微波通信和移动的技术变得无处不在，对具有成本效益、重量轻、薄、柔性和宽频谱的EMI吸收材料的需求持续快速增长。2015年EMI屏蔽市场总额超过54亿美元，预计未来5年将增长至78亿美元。本项目开发的吸波材料可应用于几乎任何类型的天线、电路板、电缆、垫圈或外壳。该技术的项目目标和更广泛的影响是开发轻质，薄，高性能的微波吸收材料，为广泛的市场，应用，产品和设备提供更高的能源效率，设计灵活性，降低成本和改善连接性。该产品适用于许多市场领域，包括汽车、消费电子、电信和航空航天等需要薄、轻和宽频谱响应的领域。该项目的智力价值将是创造用于微波吸收的新型CF复合材料。该项目将测量和定义这些复合材料在1 - 12 GHz范围内的基本电磁吸收参数。特性数据，如介电常数，复介电常数，磁导率，损耗角正切和层厚度的吸收剂将被测量和推导。这样的参数化是必不可少的模拟建模和设计优化的吸收器为各种市场和应用。吸收体衰减和频率响应将通过实验室传输线和反射率测试进行模拟和验证。这些复合材料使用磁性和介电机制来吸收微波能量。复合CF吸收材料是不导电的，并且依赖于插入损耗和阻抗匹配和/或腔谐振效应。将对商业化生产所需的工艺、技术和设备进行研究。研究生和教师将在测试，测量和建模技术的发展提供支持。该项目的实施将证明使用碳纤维复合材料作为微波吸收材料的有效性和优势，并将提供商业化和产品设计的途径。该项目的成功完成将为航空航天、汽车和消费市场创造新的高性能材料。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will support the development, characterization, and commercialization of nonconductive, magnetically loaded, carbon fiber (CF) composite microwave absorbers. Manufacturers use absorbers to protect their products from unwanted Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and to meet Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations and standards. EMI from external and internal sources can degrade the operation and performance of electronics. The demand for EMI absorbing materials that are cost effective, lightweight, thin, flexible and wide-spectrum continues to grow rapidly as microwave communications and mobile technologies become ubiquitous. The overall EMI shielding market exceeded $5.4 billion in 2015 and is expected to grow to $7.8 billion in the next 5 years. Absorber materials developed in this project can be applied to almost any type of antenna, circuit board, cable, gasket or enclosure. The project goal and broader impacts of this technology are development of lightweight, thin, high performance, microwave absorber materials that provide increased energy efficiency, design flexibility, reduced costs and improved connectivity for a wide range of markets, applications, products and devices. The product is suitable for many market sectors including automotive, consumer electronics, telecom and aerospace where thin, lightweight and wide-spectrum response is needed.The intellectual merit of the project will be the creation of new CF composites for microwave absorption. This project will measure and define the fundamental electromagnetic absorption parameters of these composites in the 1 - 12 GHz range. Characterization data such as dielectric constants, complex electric permittivity, magnetic permeability, loss tangents and layer thickness of the absorbers will be measured and derived. Such parameterization is essential for simulation modeling and design optimization of such absorbers for various markets and applications. Absorber attenuation and frequency response will be simulated and validated with laboratory transmission line and reflectivity testing. These composites use both magnetic and dielectric mechanisms to absorb microwave energy. Composite CF absorber materials are nonconductive and rely on insertion loss and impedance matching and/or cavity resonance effects. Processes, techniques and equipment needed for commercial production will be investigated. Graduate students and faculty will be supported in development of test, measurement and modeling techniques. The execution of the project will demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of using CF composites as microwave absorbing materials and will provide a pathway to commercialization and product design. Successful completion of the project will create new high performance materials for the aerospace, automotive and consumer markets.