Air Force eyes biotechnology and flexible electronics for breakthroughs in energy storage
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, 29 Sept. 2015. U.S. Air Force researchers are joining hands with UES Inc. in Dayton, Ohio, in efforts to make breakthrough advancements in energy storage for military sensors and electro-optics technologies by blending living organisms with flexible electronics.
Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, announced a $45 million contract to UES on Monday for the Soft Organic Functional Technology (SOFT) program.
UES research will focus on biotechnology, biologically derived or inspired materials, flexible electronic materials, and devices for energy storage.
The UES researchers working on the SOFT program will conduct basic and applied research into biotechnology and flexible electronics-based materials technologies for use in military applications.
Flexible electronics seeks to mount electronic devices on flexible plastic substrates like polyimide, PEEK, or transparent conductive polyester film. Biotechnology, meanwhile, seeks to use living organisms to develop specific products.
Related: Global demand for flexible electronics predicted to hit $13.23 billion by 2020
UES will investigate how to use advanced materials, structures, and devices for energy storage, energy generation, and energy transduction, as well for sensing, communications, and electro-optical technologies for Air Force air, space, physiological monitoring, and weapons applications.
Key technical areas include biotechnology, flexible electronics, biomimetic sensors, bio-based fuel contamination, printable electronics, stretchable metals, and multifunctional materials. UES work also will involve new and modified materials, laboratory procedures, analytical, characterization, and modeling to evaluate materials performance.
The ultimate goal is to develop materials and processing necessary to create advanced materials and devices for the Air Force and for the other U.S. military services.
UES scientists will demonstrate biomolecular mechanisms and materials, as well as develop flexible electronics prototypes for energy storage, energy generation, energy transduction, sensing, communications, and electro-optics.
For more information contact UES Inc. online at www.ues.com, or the Air Force Research Laboratory at www.wpafb.af.mil/AFRL.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
