Nanotechnology in Defence Sector

By Manu Shreshtha
Manu Shreshtha/ Reg no 19601601008
1

Aryabhatta Knowledge University
Aryabhatta Centre of Nanoscience &
Nanotechnology
Manu Shreshtha
19601601008
MTech Nanoscience & Nanotechnology (2019-21)
Aryabhatta Center For Nanoscience &
Nanotechnology
Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Patna
Presentation
on
Nanotechnology In Defence Sector
Guided by:
Dr Rakesh Kumar Singh
Manu Shreshtha/ Reg no 19601601008 2

1. Introduction
2. Military Research
3. What Can Nanotechnology Do For Military?
4. Soldier Battlesuit
i. Nano-processed Body Armour
ii. Strength and Protection
iii. Communications And Controlled Temperature Suits
5. Coatings
6. Nano-medic And Ayurveda
i. Nano-medic
ii. Ayurveda In Defence
7. Reference

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 Nanotechnology holds strong promises for use in the defence industry. Current
thinking is that nanotechnology can be used in two main ways by soldiers.
 The first is miniaturisation of existing equipment to allow it to be not only
smaller, but lighter, use less energy and be more readily concealable. The second is
to develop and adapt new materials for military purposes.
 DRDO is carrying out extensive work in the field of nanotechnology to enhance its
application in defence sector.
 Major focus areas have been NBC (Nuclear, biological and Chemical) attack
protection devices, stealth and camouflage, sensors, high-energy applications,
nanoelectronics, structural applications.

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“Poof”…Where’d They Go?
How could you become invisible? Here are a
couple of nano-ways
Scientists are manipulating light so soldiers seem to
disappear.
Scientists are also working on "electrochromic camouflage" –
fabric which changes colors instantly to blend in with the
surroundings.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_30/b3843083.htm?chan=search
http://beverlytang.com/archives/imaging/chameleon_clothing.html
http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=6080.php
 Design of a nano lens that involves a
tapered stacked arrangement of silver
nanorods.
 The layers are separated by nano-gaps,
which prevents the propagation of
plasmons, resulting in extremely low loss
of energy and thus making long distance
imaging possible.
 It appears that a gap size of 10 nm gives
the optimum value for efficient imaging.

Armor As Strong as a …
Snail?
 Sea snails and abalone are guiding scientists in
their search for strong and lightweight armor. Sea
Shells and Abalone.
 Others, besides the military, will benefit from
these new nanoscience developments: firefighters,
police officers, and other emergency responders.

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• Clothing with greater tolerance for temperature changes
• Increase surveillance for better protection
• Smaller cameras
• Cheap, small, and more effective weapons
• Exploration of the oceans
• Augmenting human performance
• Scratch resistant surfaces
• Stronger, thinner and cheaper glass
• Change shape of objects, i.e. armor-like fabric
• Coatings that don't degrade (doesn't need repainting)
• "Invisibility"

• Faster intensive medical help
• Lighter, faster aircraft which use less fuel
• Submarines and planes that can go undetected by radar

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 For creating super strong materials uses tungsten, not carbon, for the basic
material.
 It is five times stronger than steel and at least twice as strong as any impact-
resistant material currently in use as protective gear. It has withstood the
equivalent of dropping four diesel locomotives onto an area the size of a
fingernail.
Possible applications for this new nano-material are ballistic protection personal body armor, bullet
proof vests, vehicle armor, shields, helmets, and protective enclosures.

 A new nano-armor is called "smart" body armor. It
weaves thin pads or cloth from fibers that can
sense the impact of a bullet or shrapnel and
automatically stiffen.
 This material would be even more resistant to
penetration and less cumbersome than the
ceramic-plate armor troops wear now.
 Concerns about biochemical-warfare have resulted
in exploration into nano-size umbrellas that open to
seal the cloth's pores, making it impervious to
airborne chemicals and pathogens.
 It is easier and lighter than the current equipment
required.

 Polymer molecular muscle ribbons in the suit can magnify a soldiers strength by
up to ten times. At present the muscles are slow to react and therefore not
practical in most battlefield applications.
 Kevlar is already the material of choice for protection against bullets and other
ballistics and nanotechnology is being applied to further increase its functionality.
Testing is underway on a shock-resistant material five times stronger than steel
and more than twice as strong as any other impact-resistant material currently in
use.
 Protection from chemical and biological agents is being provided for with the use
of special molecules called dendrimers. The dangerous chemicals stick to
dendrimers and are rendered harmless.
 Self Decontaminating
 Water, oil, dust proof.

 Just as communications from ships at sea used to utilise coded messages
transmitted by means of flashing lights, specially coated polymer threads woven
into the suit can allow silent communication between soldiers.
 The system can be tuned to different light wavelengths to prevent eavesdropping
or detection by enemy units.
 ClimaWare is a suit developed by a MTech student of Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
 Kranthi Kiran Vistakula developed a technology that can keep your body
comfortable in outside temperatures that range from -50 to 50 degrees Celsius.

18

 High strength, corrosion resistant coatings are another military use for
nanotechnology in order to improve durability, corrosion resistance and reliability.
These materials can sense damage or corrosion and automatically initiate repair
of some damage. The potential is also there for coatings to change colour when
required. This could include adaptive camouflage for tanks moving from jungle to
open fields or into urban areas.
 Teflon coating is being done on Kevlar Suits to make them ultra waterproof.

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 Sensors would provide the soldier's vital signs and location to medics via radio.
 Until the new nano-sensored garment is ready, soldiers will wear an adhesive
chest patch fitted with sensors and a tiny radio.
 If a soldier is injured in the arm or leg, thanks to nano-fibers in the
uniform, the fabric would constrict into a tourniquet.
 This will be a real life-saver, because half of all battlefield deaths are due
to massive blood loss before wounded soldiers can be treated.

 The former defence minister said Ayurveda wasn’t suitable for armed forces; but
an AYUSH ministry seminar explores possibilities
 Two years after then defence minister Manohar Parrikar dismissed the
introduction of ayurvedic treatment in the armed forces as “not feasible”, the
ministry seems to be opening up to the idea of alternative healthcare medicines.
 The top medical body of the armed forces — the Directorate General of Armed
Forces Medical Services (AFMS) — held a high-level seminar with the
government’s AYUSH ministry for implementing alternative treatment like
Ayurveda.

1. http://www.discovernano.northwestern.edu/affect/applications_content/security
2. http://www.voyle.net/Nano%20Defence%202005/Main%20Defence%202005%20.htm
3. http://web.mit.edu/isn/
4. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_30/b3843083.htm?chan=search
5. smart materials: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2003/2003017_9999.htm?chan=search
6. What are the military's research priorities? http://www.acq.osd.mil/ddre/research/research.html
7. http://medgadget.com/archives/2005/03/army_develops_i.html
8. http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/jul2005/a071805ms2.ht
9. https://theprint.in/report/defence-ministry-alternative-medicines/10965/
10. https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1818
11. http://www.indiandefencereview.com/spotlights/military-applications-of-nanotechnology-lessons-for-india/
12. https://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-03/tech-transfer-winter-woes-nanotech-cold-necks-knee-pain/

Any question?
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Nanotechnology in Defence Sector

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