Matmerize, Inc., a leader in Polymer & Formulations Informatics has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to advance AI methods for accelerating the design of low-flammability polymer composite materials.
This SBIR contract is the second to be awarded to Matmerize, with the first awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop physics-informed and physics-enforced machine learning (ML) architectures to advance materials development.
This project can potentially transform and enhance fire safety for Navy ships and submarines while also creating new applications in many other industries such as construction, aerospace, automotive, and consumer products.
The flammability of polymer composites is typically measured using highly standardized instruments/tests defined by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and other agencies. Desirable polymeric materials that meet ASTM and non-ASTM standardized tests require a precise combination of base polymers, functional additives, flame retardants, and processing conditions.
Matmerize will collaborate with the DOD to develop a Polymer Informatics capability using curated data and advanced AI/ML techniques, aimed at speeding up the design of these low-flammability polymer matrix composites that meet critical mechanical and thermal performance targets needed by the Navy.
“This collaboration signifies a major achievement in the pursuit of safer, lower-flammability polymer composites. We take great pride in spearheading the development of cutting-edge AI-driven solutions for low-flammability composite materials that not only meet rigorous ASTM testing standards but also address the vital safety requirements mandated for our Navy ships,“ stated Huan Tran, Director of Research Innovation for Matmerize.
Key highlights of the contract include:
- Creation of a composite materials database with flammability and other relevant properties such as maximum heat release rate, time to ignition, and smoke density.
- Development of AI models trained on the database to predict the relevant properties for new composite formulations.
- Recommend a pool of promising polymer composites, i.e., the combinations of base polymers, functional additives, flame retardants, and processing conditions, for experimentally synthesis and testing.
At the heart of Matmerize's innovation lies PolymRize, its flagship product which is a cloud-based Polymer Informatics software platform meticulously crafted to expedite the advancement of polymers, composites, and formulations.
“The two concurrent SBIR awards granted by [the] DOD and NSF represent a resounding endorsement of Matmerize's pioneering Polymer Informatics platform PolymRize. These contracts will provide us the resources and support needed to further advance our AI-based PolymRize platform," said Chiho Kim, CTO at Matmerize.
For more information on the innovative PolymRize platform please visit: www.matmerize.com/polymrize
Matmerize, Inc. is a recent spin-out from the Georgia Institute of Technology and was founded by Dr. Rampi Ramprasad and Dr. Chiho Kim. Matmerize is an innovator at the intersection of advanced materials engineering and AI with a mission to revolutionize fire safety and sustainability through AI technology.
