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Zachariah, Research Team Wins MURI Award

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Dr. Michael Zachariah

Professor Professor Michael Zachariah is part of a research team that won a Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Award sponsored by the Department of Defense to research ways to design energetic materials that are more stable, reliable, and less vulnerable.  Zachariah will work with principal investigator Dr. Richard A. Yetter from Pennsylvania State University on “Smart, Functional, Nanoenergetics Design from the Atomistic/Molecular Scale through the Mesoscale.”  Researchers from Princeton University, Purdue University, and Georgia Institute of Technology will also contribute to the investigation.

Zachariah’s role will be to assemble and analyze the reaction dynamics of nanometer reactive materials.  One of the research goals is to develop new energetic materials on a micron-sized scale or larger that have nanoscale features.  These features would improve performance and manage energy release of energetic materials while providing reduced sensitivity and ease of processing and handling.  Another goal of the initiative is to understand the relationship between the design of these newly developed energetic materials and their reactive and mechanical behavior, particularly with regard to sensitivity, ignition, burning characteristics, mechanical properties, and controllability.

The MURI program supports teams of researchers for five years to address specific topics of interest to the Department of Defense.  The research team requested $4.5 million for three years and $3 million for two optional years, for a total of $7.5 million over five years.

For more information about Professor Zachariah’s research visit his faculty profile page.

Published June 26, 2012