Nanomaterial Could Help Keep Pilots and Equipment Safe from Destructive Lasers

www.sciencedaily.com...

Thomas and his team found that nanoclusters developed by adding atoms in a sequential manner could provide interesting optical properties. It turns out that the gold nanoclusters exhibit qualities that may make them suitable for creating surfaces that would diffuse laser beams of high energy. They appear to be much more effective than its big sister, gold nanocrystal which is the (nano)material used by artists to make medieval church window paintings.

Think of commercial pilots or fighter pilots. They use sunglasses or helmet shields to protect their eyes from the sun's light. If the glasses or helmet shield could be coated with nanoclusters tested in Thomas' lab at UCF, the shield could potentially diffuse high-energy beams of light, such as laser. Highly sensitive instruments needed for navigation and other applications could also be protected in case of an enemy attack using high energy laser beams.

I remember reading about anti-aircraft lasers being developed, and also aircraft that could lasers to attack other aircraft/missiles.

Examples - U.S. Develops Laser Weapon For Fighter Aircraft

Anti-aircraft energy laser unveiled

This sounds like a pretty awesome defensive material. The anti-aircraft and aircraft lasers are still pretty new, and then this material comes out. Every time I read something similar to stuff like this....Star Wars always enters my mind. I can only imagine what more advances in destructive and defensive laser technology will come out in the next decade. A laser rifle doesent seem too far off, nor does a laser rifle proof vest either.

Sounds expensive, plating our planes in gold. But as the use of lasers in warfare grows so will the need for countermeasures.

Also, anything about nano-materials is awesome

This has already been done to a degree in coatings on rangefinders, night vision/thermal, binoculars, sunglasses and as coatings on the glass canopies of some aircraft and helicopters. It's been in use for 20-30 years, so it's nothing new.