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
