Advanced Materials

Traditional materials and processes for science, engineering, and technologies in the context of defense systems and military applications.

Recent Inquiries

What experiments and models exist for liquid fuel injection or spray in hypersonic fuels?

What experiments and models exist for liquid fuel injection or spray in hypersonic fuels?

Which missiles and/or solid rocket boosters utilize carbon/carbon-silicon-carbide (C/C-SiC) ceramic matrix composite (CMC) thrust vector control vanes for maneuvering?

Which missiles and/or solid rocket boosters utilize carbon/carbon-silicon-carbide (C/C-SiC) ceramic matrix composite (CMC) thrust vector control vanes for maneuvering?

71657 What publications on reducing the optical cross section in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) (1.0-1.5 um) spectral band for optical systems are available?

What publications on reducing the optical cross section in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) (1.0-1.5 um) spectral band for optical systems are available?

Articles

Sailors from the Virginia-class attack submarine USS Texas (SSN 775) pull in line from a tugboat as the submarine prepares to depart Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine

Johns Hopkins APL, Navy Team up to Advance Additive Manufacturing for Critical Missions

Over the past decade, additive manufacturing has emerged as a disruptive force in advanced defense manufacturing. However, skepticism about its reliability — particularly for building crucial military hardware — has hindered its adoption. Now, through…

periodic table of elements metals

Career Exploration: Using Ingenuity and Innovation to Create “Memory Metals”

Othmane Benafan is a NASA engineer whose work is literally reshaping how we use aerospace materials — he creates metals that can shape shift. Benafan, a materials research engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in…

An atomic-scale close-up of the copper-lithium particle, one of many embedded in the microstructure of the nanocrystalline copper-tantalum-lithium alloy. The blue features represent the lithium atoms, the yellow features represent the tantalum atoms encasing the lithium atoms and the orange features represent the surrounding copper matrix. (Lehigh University)

Army Researchers, Academia Create Stronger, More Durable Copper That Could Advance Military Systems

ADELPHI, Md. – U.S. Army researchers, in collaboration with academic partners, invented a stronger copper that could help advance defense, energy, and aerospace industries thanks to its ability to endure unprecedented temperature and pressure extremes….

Webinars

Many tiny fibers twisted together into one larger strand

Computational Tools to Predict the Response of UHMWPE Composites to Impact

Ultra-high, molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites are advanced materials that lack experimentally driven, physics-based computational tools for predicting their response. This challenge exists for traditional fiber-based UHMWPE composites in a softer matrix material, as well…

researcher using pipette in a science lab

The Next Frontier in Energy and Materials: Turbostratic Graphene

Unlike conventional single- or few-layer graphene, turbostratic graphene, which is derived from biomass feedstock, can perform across a wide range of metrics and applications. To raise awareness and increase domestic production of turbostratic graphene, this…

Metallic parts on a table

Better, Faster, Cheaper Metallic Components: NSF’s HAMMER-ERC

The U.S. National Science Foundation’s Hybrid Autonomous Manufacturing, Moving from Evolution to Revolution Engineering Research Center (NSF HAMMER-ERC) is a collaboration between five universities to develop agile manufacturing systems that use new tools and advanced…

Events

Image of warfighters traversing urban terrain with an unmanned vehicle.

Future Force Capabilities Conference & Exhibition

The NDIA 2025 Future Forces Capabilities Conference & Exhibition will discuss how new technologies and capabilities will influence future military operations. The conference will provide a platform for collaboration between the defense industry and military…

An artist's concept of the International Space Station orbiting the Earth. The Moon, and a red spot indicating Mars is also present.

SpaceCom

SpaceCom | Space Congress exclusively draws participation from industry leaders and organizations with the power to drive new space strategies, fuel forward progress, signal demand for continued innovation, inform policy, and institute a sustainable future…

Illustration of a satellite connecting wirelessly from space to various military ground assets.

2025 Space Technologies Independent Research & Development (IR&D) Technology Interchange Meeting

During the week of 24-28 March 2025, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), on behalf of the U.S. Department of defense (DoD) Space Community of Interest (COI), will host a virtual technology interchange meeting…