Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory discovered a new platform for quantum technologies by suspending two-dimensional (2-D) crystals over pores in a slab of gold. This new approach may help develop new materials for secure communication and sensing technologies based on the unique laws of physics at the atomic levels.

Top university and industry researchers met recently at Carnegie Mellon University to forge a collaboration designed to improve on-demand 3-D printing. As part of a newly formed Research Alliance for Additive Manufacturing Innovations, the group will uncover best approaches to advance unified holistic multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary additive manufacturing research for Army acquisition and sustainment programs.

In partnership with industry, a team of Air Force Research Laboratory/Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) personnel are developing the capability to accelerate certification of advanced manufactured composite structures. Creating a new materials characterization sub-facility, known as the Materials Solutions Network, will drive composite manufacturing into a physics-based exact science that can be predicted and modeled in ways impossible until now, allowing faster implementation of low-cost, short-term and limited-life technologies.

The increase in unmanned aircraft (UA) traffic is leading to an increase in communications disruptions because too many vehicles are trying to use the same limited number of frequencies.

Water repellency is needed for surfaces to shed condensation buildup. New research by the University of Illinois and North Carolina State University shows that the necessity of water repellency is unclear and that the slipperiness between the droplets and solid surface appears to be more critical to the clearing of condensation.

Common nail polish remover combined with light upgrades it to higher-mass hydrocarbons, creating an additive that can be blended with conventional jet fuel with environmental benefits. Los Alamos National Lab converted bio-derived acetone to isophorone and then used a UV lamp to convert it to a cyclobutane, a type of hydrocarbon with high energy density for fuels applications.