# Materials and Chemistry

**R-2A activity** of project 1506 — Materials/Electronics  
**Program element:** 0601153N — Defense Research Sciences  
**Component:** U.S. Navy · **Budget Activity:** 1  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601153N/1506/a8  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601153N/1506

## Summary

This activity requests $45.1M in FY2027, 41% of project 1506, up 27% on FY2026. The R-2A exhibit describes it across FY2026–FY2027, including what the FY2027 money is planned to buy.

## What the FY2027 request buys

**FY2027 planned work.** - Continue work into Corrosion and Interfacial Chemistry. Efforts in this area of research target an understanding of corrosion and interfacial chemistries/processes to develop new materials technologies and control measures to ensure Fleet readiness, critical operations, and survivability. - Continue efforts into Materials Chemistry and Diagnostics. The focus of these efforts are on the chemical synthesis, structure/property relationships and processing of inorganic, organic, organometallic, biochemical, polymeric, ceramic and nanoparticle materials. Synthesis and advanced processing efforts address Materials for Extreme Environments - polymer and ceramic matrix composites, thermal protection, camouflage, obscurants, directed energy protection, especially for hypersonic applications; Soft Materials - functional and bio-inspired polymers, catalytic polymers, fire suppressant molecules, soft robotics, self-reporting materials, smart materials. - Continue efforts into Materials Processes and Performance. Efforts focus on the discovery and advancement of new and improved structural and functional high performance materials including advances and discovery of new fabrication methods associated understanding of these methods for the consistent production of these new materials. - Continue in Materials for Advanced Sensor Science. Research in this area focuses on the physical properties of materials for the discovery of new functionality with direct application to sensing and advanced electronic devices. The work performed in this area utilizes novel experimental methods, as well as theoretical and computational models to identify and understand materials behavior spanning the range of physical properties of materials including electronic, magnetic, optical, and quantum behaviors. A primary technical objective is to identify new functional materials or new methods to control the functionality of materials to enhance current or enable new sensing capabilities. Evaluation of properties is performed across scales and conditions pertinent to naval applications. Specific areas of research include investigations into enhancing performance of sensing materials through engineering properties of 2D heterostructures, control of optoelectronics properties of halide perovkites, and ferroelectric materials to enable revolutionary advances in sonar device sensitivity. - Continue Materials Modeling, Simulation and Analytics. This research focuses on use of computational methodologies and manipulation of data to discover, identify, and interpret new and innovative insights into material performance and processing methodologies. Efforts aim to investigate the behavior of materials, materials synthesis, processing and characterization, modification of surfaces and plasma processing and engineered materials. Specific areas of research include first principle understanding of material response, advanced modeling and simulation techniques which can address performance of a variety of material systems, design tools for active materials for sensors and actuators, and advances in the algorithmic processes for rapid trace explosives detection. - Continue work into Biologically Enabled Materials. Here, the fundamental properties of the materials are investigated to provide the basis for sensing and actuation approaches, bioelectronics, organizational and structural mechanisms, and protective strategies, driving the underlying concepts and modeling necessary to the application of these novel products to Navy relevant systems and environments. Novel, new, and emerging biomaterials have been touted as the heart of regenerative medicine and the fabric of the medical devices market; however, bio, bioinspired, and bioderived materials offer a wider spectrum of applications than this attention would tend to indicate. From thermal and corrosion protection to waveguide technologies, attributable formulations, and energy transfer, these materials offer novel capabilities that can be harnessed to meet Navy needs. Realization of these applications requires a fundamental understanding of how the materials function and how that function can be adapted to non-native environments and use scenarios.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** Increase in funding from FY2026 to FY2027 is due to increased research in various areas, including Biologically Enabled Materials, Materials Modeling, Simulation and Analytics, Materials for Advanced Sensor Science, Materials Processes and Performance, Materials Chemistry and Diagnostics, and Corrosion and Interfacial Chemistry.

## Before the request year

**FY2026 plans — current year.** - Continue work into Corrosion and Interfacial Chemistry. Efforts in this area of research target an understanding of corrosion and interfacial chemistries/processes to develop new materials technologies and control measures to ensure Fleet readiness, critical operations, and survivability. - Continue efforts into Materials Chemistry and Diagnostics. The focus of these efforts are on the chemical synthesis, structure/property relationships and processing of inorganic, organic, organometallic, biochemical, polymeric, ceramic and nanoparticle materials. Synthesis and advanced processing efforts address Materials for Extreme Environments - polymer and ceramic matrix composites, thermal protection, camouflage, obscurants, directed energy protection, especially for hypersonic applications; Soft Materials - functional and bio-inspired polymers, catalytic polymers, fire suppressant molecules, soft robotics, self-reporting materials, smart materials. - Continue efforts into Materials Processes and Performance. Efforts focus on the discovery and advancement of new and improved structural and functional high performance materials including advances and discovery of new fabrication methods associated understanding of these methods for the consistent production of these new materials. - Continue in Materials for Advanced Sensor Science. Research in this area focuses on the physical properties of materials for the discovery of new functionality with direct application to sensing and advanced electronic devices. The work performed in this area utilizes novel experimental methods, as well as theoretical and computational models to identify and understand materials behavior spanning the range of physical properties of materials including electronic, magnetic, optical, and quantum behaviors. A primary technical objective is to identify new functional materials or new methods to control the functionality of materials to enhance current or enable new sensing capabilities. Evaluation of properties is performed across scales and conditions pertinent to naval applications. Specific areas of research include investigations into enhancing performance of sensing materials through engineering properties of 2D heterostructures, control of optoelectronics properties of halide perovskites, and ferroelectric materials to enable revolutionary advances in sonar device sensitivity. - Continue Materials Modeling, Simulation and Analytics. This research focuses on use of computational methodologies and manipulation of data to discover, identify, and interpret new and innovative insights into material performance and processing methodologies. Efforts aim to investigate the behavior of materials, materials synthesis, processing and characterization, modification of surfaces and plasma processing and engineered materials. Specific areas of research include first principle understanding of material response, advanced modeling and simulation techniques which can address performance of a variety of material systems, design tools for active materials for sensors and actuators, and advances in the algorithmic processes for rapid trace explosives detection. - Continue work into Biologically Enabled Materials. Here, the fundamental properties of the materials are investigated to provide the basis for sensing and actuation approaches, bioelectronics, organizational and structural mechanisms, and protective strategies, driving the underlying concepts and modeling necessary to the application of these novel products to Navy relevant systems and environments. Novel, new, and emerging biomaterials have been touted as the heart of regenerative medicine and the fabric of the medical devices market; however, bio, bioinspired, and bioderived materials offer a wider spectrum of applications than this attention would tend to indicate. From thermal and corrosion protection to waveguide technologies, attributable formulations, and energy transfer, these materials offer novel capabilities that can be harnessed to meet Navy needs. Realization of these applications requires a fundamental understanding of how the materials function and how that function can be adapted to non-native environments and use scenarios. - Continue both exploratory and confirmatory research with future naval application in Materials/Electronics research areas (realigned from Project 1099).

## Funding

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 35.6 |
| FY2027 | Request | 45.1 |

> Prior, current and budget year only — an R-2A activity carries no five-year plan. It sums exactly into its project in the request year and not necessarily in any other.

## Other activities in project 1506

- [Electronics Materials and Processes](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0601153N/1506/a9) — FY2027 37.9
- Functional Materials — FY2027 6.3
- Materials — FY2027 6.0
- Structural Materials — FY2027 5.6
- Nanoscale Computing Devices and Systems — FY2027 4.7
- Electronics and Sensors Technology — FY2027 4.0
- Expeditionary Electromagnetic Spectrum — FY2027 0.0
- Expeditionary Electronics — FY2027 0.0
- Expeditionary Materials — FY2027 0.0

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibit R-2A, PE 0601153N project 1506 (PB PB2027). Narrative is the government's own text.
- **No marks, no contractors at this grain** — congressional marks land on the program element and R-3 performers on the project.
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_activity`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*