DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office invites submissions of innovative basic or applied research concepts in the technical domain of switchable reactives and energetic materials.
SeREne seeks to develop energetic materials that can be switched (Phase 1), and tuned continuously (Phase 2), between a safe state with high insensitivity and a detonable statehigh performance. Classes of energetics of interest to the SeREne program include solid explosives and propellants as well as hypergolic liquid mixtures. Methods of interest include,are not limited to, spin crossover, geometric control, phase change in energetic materials (eg crystal polymorphism, glass transition), and isomerization, among others. In addition, SeREne seeks technologies and ideas that can introduce reversible switchability or tunability at the materials level with a very small energy input. These ideas can include nonchemical approaches as well as non-adiabatic chemical reactivity.
SeREne will consist of two phases:
- Phase 1 – Base – Switchability Study – 12 months – demonstrating reversible switchability of energetics between a high-performance state and a high-insensitivity state.
- Phase 2 – Option – Tunability Study – 12 months – developing energetics with broadly tunable performance.
Up to USD$2M is available for the combined phases.
SeREne comprises two technical areas:
- TA 1 – Explosives – detonating energetic materials
- TA 2 – Propellants – deflating energetic materials, which can be solid or liquid.
Proposers may submit to either or both technical areas. If submitting for both, each technical area must be a separate proposal.
Both technical areas may generate information which is subject to controlled unclassified information (CUI) controls.
This opportunity is issued under the Program Announcement for Disruptioneering: DARPA-PA-24-04.
Proposals are due 2 December 2024.
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Disruption Opportunity -SeREne: DARPA-PA-24-04-02
