Structured Materials Wins Funding to Develop Enhanced Lethality Coatings

Structured Materials Industries, Inc. (SMI) reports that it has received Phase I SBIR funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to develop enhanced lethality coatings. The purpose of such coatings is to increase the realizable energy of a projectile or of the munitions’ structural components. SMI will explore MOCVD and sputter processes to produce the films. The technology is based on the well-known release of thermal energy of metal/metal-oxide powders. SMI will develop the technology in thin film form, facilitating controllable reactivity of the coatings. In addition, this approach leverages the manufacturability of well-known fabrication technologies such as PVD and MOCVD.