Nanocomp Technologies Inc., a Concord, N.H.-based developer of performance materials and component products made with long carbon nanotubes (CNTs), has received a Phase II contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program administered by the U.S. Department of Defense. The multi-million-dollar contract will fund Nanocomp's continuing research and development of ultra-lightweight CNT-based materials to replace metal-based electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and electrostatic discharge components used on both manned and unmanned aircraft -- research that is of high importance to the government and has been designated as a "critical SBIR program."

The Phase II contract follows a previous SBIR Phase I contract, under which Nanocomp built large-format CNT sheets that were shown to provide the required EMI shielding and also to endure the stresses related to the prepregging process that the material undergoes to enable its direct insertion into aircraft manufacturing systems. Under Phase II, the company plans to optimize the functionality of the sheets with regard to shielding requirements and scale up production, and also lower the cost of the prepregged end-products.

"This is an incredible day for Nanocomp Technologies, as we continue to be recognized as a company that is delivering on the promise of carbon nanotube technology," said Peter Antoinette, president and CEO, Nanocomp. "We're turning the corner from 'potential' to 'proven' in several commercially important applications and are now directing our focus on scaling for insertion into various Air Force systems."

The Phase II program will include participation by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Redondo Beach, Calif., and Cytec Engineered Materials, Tempe, Ariz.

August 24, 2010