Functional Materials for 24/7 Autonomy: EMC, Infrared Signature, and Environmental Durability
Ernest SZAJNA, Agata DUDEK, Maciej WIELGOSZ, Yaroslav HIRNYAK, Konrad SZAJNA
Abstract. This paper distills materials requirements for around-the-clock autonomy in VTOL UAVs across three domains: EMC and communications, thermal and infrared management, and environmental durability. We map system functions, such as GNSS-independent navigation, anti-jamming capability, and mesh networking, to material and integration choices. These include conductive and absorbing shielding with low-loss RF laminates, radomes with controlled permittivity and low loss tangent in the operating band with uniform thickness to limit pattern distortion, low impedance heat paths with emissivity engineered coatings, and structures and barrier systems that preserve mechanical and dielectric properties after exposure to moisture, ultraviolet radiation, and thermal cycling. We describe trade-offs between shielding and antenna efficiency, emissivity and cooling, and mass versus resistance to erosion and fatigue, and codify the corresponding selection criteria. A representative layered reference architecture (RA) serves as the foundation for the analysis, providing a framework for the co-design case study. We close with an outlook on an AI-tunable multimodal camouflage layer that extends the same co-design principles.
Keywords
VTOL UAVs, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), RF Materials, Radomes, Thermal Management, Infrared (IR) Signature, Environmental Durability, Reliability
Published online 1/25/2026, 7 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Ernest SZAJNA, Agata DUDEK, Maciej WIELGOSZ, Yaroslav HIRNYAK, Konrad SZAJNA, Functional Materials for 24/7 Autonomy: EMC, Infrared Signature, and Environmental Durability, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 62, pp 270-276, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904015-35
The article was published as article 35 of the book Terotechnology XIV
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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