Visible and Infrared Camouflage Active Skin using electroPHoretic inks – PACIPHIQUE

Résumé (non confidentiel) du projet en anglais
The objective of this project is to demonstrate that it is possible to produce an operational stealth system in both the thermal infrared and the visible. The device proposed in the infrared uses electrophoretic ink systems with emissivity controllable by an electric field. The device contains absorbent nanoparticles in bands II & III. These particles use a confined plasmon effect to absorb at these wavelengths. By adjusting the size of these particles it is possible to precisely target these wavelengths. An electric field applied to the electrodes makes it possible to disperse or concentrate these particles. The ITO electrodes also act as a mirror in the infrared. The system can then go from an emissive state to a reflective state in these wavelength ranges. The ITO being transparent, it is possible to include by superimposition a reflective screen in the visible. These screens can either use cholesteric liquid crystals or transparent electrophoretic inks. The IR modulator on the front face superimposed on a modulator in the visible. It is possible to build an active camouflage skin by assembling these displays and providing the system with a control system and a system for analyzing the environment by cameras operating in these wavelength ranges. . It is then possible to reproduce a colored texture as well as an emissivity in the thermal bands similar to the environment, which can make it possible to hide, for example, the hot spots of a vehicle (engine, axles).
The project partners form a consortium allowing to go from the synthesis of nanoparticles (LPPI CY) to the system architecture (SADAL Engineering) through the engineering of optical devices (IMT Atlantique) and materials for flexible electronics (Mines Saint Etienne)
To date, infrared electrophoretic ink technology is in the proof-of-concept stage with a laboratory-scale device that has demonstrated all the hopes it can offer in adaptive multispectral camouflage. The use of plastic film as an encapsulant remains one of the big weak points if we want to gain technological maturity. Therefore, the whole process needs to be made more reliable. In conclusion, the objective of this ASTRID maturation project is to improve and make such a device more reliable to bring it up to a TRL 5 and to propose a demonstrator to be tested in the field, that is to say in a representative environment: