Portugal is stepping up its game in the world of defense technology with a new material based on graphene, designed to make drones and military aircraft significantly less visible to radar. This innovative breakthrough could place Europe firmly in the running for stealth technology supremacy. The project is spearheaded by GTechPlasma, a spin-off from the Plasma and Nuclear Fusion Institute at Lisbon’s Instituto Superior Técnico. They’ve developed a plasma-based system that creates customized, high-quality graphene materials. Bruno Soares Gonçalves, co-founder of GTechPlasma, shared insights during an interview with Euronews, emphasizing the material’s ability to absorb electromagnetic radiation, including radar waves—a crucial feature for stealth applications.
Now, here’s the kicker; solutions like this are not just hard to come by, they’re also tightly controlled on an international scale. Gonçalves points out that while graphene is a sheet of carbon atoms just one atom thick, the method they use to produce it from sources like ethyl alcohol or methane through plasma technology allows for precise control at the atomic level. This means they can tweak the material’s properties for various applications, making it pretty versatile. Beyond just radar absorption, they’re eyeing uses for hydrogen storage and even separating rare earths and uranium.
One of the most significant applications? Making military aircraft nearly invisible to radar. Imagine the strategic advantage that comes from reducing a plane’s radar signature in a combat scenario! Gonçalves highlights this potential, stating that the technology is moving towards industrialization, with GTechPlasma’s devices currently cranking out 40 milligrams of high-quality graphene every minute. But wait, there’s more! The company plans to ramp up production and has already teamed up with an industrial partner to achieve this goal.
Plashene, another Portuguese company, is set to industrialize the graphene production machine, backed by Compete 2030 funding from Vila Viçosa. They’re also looking to forge more partnerships within the defense sector, having already delivered 260 grams of this radar-absorbing material to a local drone manufacturer. Right now, the graphene is produced as a lightweight black powder, but the ultimate goal is to create solutions ready for immediate application—think coatings or paints that can be directly applied to surfaces like drones.
The excitement doesn’t stop here! This innovation could catapult Portugal to the forefront of graphene-based stealth technologies, with applications that could extend well beyond the military sector. Just imagine the possibilities!
Kaynak: Orijinal Haber