Virginia Tech Materials Researchers Selected to Improve Military Armor

Virginia Tech has been selected by the Army Research Laboratory to establish a Materials Center of Excellence. The center will develop polymer-based materials to protect personnel and equipment against weapons attack. The center will also offer graduate student and postdoctoral scholar mentorship and undergraduate research programs.

The Multilayered Technologies for Armored Structures and Composites (MultiTASC) Materials Center of Excellence involves researchers from eight interdisciplinary research groups, two colleges, and six academic departments at Virginia Tech, who will team with personnel at the Army Research Lab Weapons and Materials Research Directorate (ARL-WMRD). Timothy E. Long, professor of chemistry in the College of Science, and Romesh C. Batra, professor of engineering science and mechanics in the College of Engineering, both at Virginia Tech, are the co-technical directors.
"The MultiTASC center offers a unique, interdisciplinary team focused on providing polymeric materials-based solutions for lightweight Army systems with increased functionality, structural protection, and improved reliability," said Long.
The ARL award provides $500,000 per year, potentially renewable for nine years, totaling approximately $4 million, Long said. "It is a prestigious award for Virginia Tech. These funds will have a tremendous impact on advancing nanotechnology research on campus. Moreover, the synergy with Virginia Tech's Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science will ensure a state-of-the-art research facility to foster collaborations and interdisciplinary approaches to science and engineering."

In recent decades, low-weight, high-performance polymeric materials and composites have revolutionized advanced commercial and military technologies. Polymers continue to replace heavier metals and metallic alloys and new technologies range from biomaterials and electro-optical devices to alternate energy sources and nanotechnology.
The Virginia Tech MultiTASC center researchers will develop structural materials with chemical resistance, thermal stability, and fracture resistance; transparent materials that are self-healing with anti-reflection and anti-abrasions surfaces, and new, efficient manufacturing processes to create multi-functional, multi-layered materials.
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