Protective shield including hybrid nanofiber composite layers

1. A method of forming a protective shield to protect an aircraft component from EMI or energy bursts comprising the steps of:

combining a carbon-based or silicon-based preceramic polymer precursor and a metallic precursor to form a dope;

processing the dope to provide a deposit that includes nano-structures;

post-processing the deposit to provide a nano-structure material with a uniformly distributed base metal or metal compound; and

forming a protective shield using the nano-structure material, and wherein a weight percentage range in the protective shield is about 75/25 to about 99/1 weight percent of carbon-based or silicon-based nano-structure to magnetic nano-structure.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the preceramic polymer precursor is an inorganic polymer.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the inorganic polymer is at least one of polycarbosilanes, polysilazanes, polysiloxanes, polycarbosilazanes, polycarbosiloxanes, polysilsesquioxanes as well as metal-modified polymers of carbosilanes, silazanes, siloxanes, carbosilazanes, carbosiloxanes, or combinations thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the metallic precursor is a ferromagnetic metal or alloy.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the ferromagnetic metal is nickel, cobalt, iron, alloys of nickel, cobalt, or iron, rare earth alloys, or ferritic metal oxides.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the nano-structures comprise nanofibers, nanoparticulates, and/or beaded nanofibers.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the preceramic polymer precursor includes carbon-based fibers.

8. The method according to claim 1 further including providing a substrate and processing the dope by electrospraying, wherein the step of electrospraying comprises depositing a coating with the nano-structures on the substrate, and wherein the step of post-processing includes using one or more of heat, pressure, atmosphere, and radiation to convert the carbon- or silicon-based polymer precursors to a final desired form in the nano-structure material such that the protective shield is provided as a coated substrate with directed energy and EMI protection.

9. The method according to claim 1 including processing the dope by electrospinning, wherein the step of electrospinning is performed to prepare a nonwoven mat, and wherein the step of post-processing includes using one or more of heat, pressure, atmosphere, and radiation to convert the precursors to a final desired form in the nano-structure material of the nonwoven mat.

10. The method according to claim 9 further including incorporating the nano-structure material into a composite structure to provide the protective shield as a composite with integral directed energy and EMI protection.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the dope comprising blends of the preceramic polymer precursor to metallic precursor range from about 50/50 to about 99/1 by weight percent of the preceramic polymer and metallic precursors.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the dope comprising blends of the preceramic polymer precursor to metallic precursor range from about 75/25 to about 95/5 by weight percent of the preceramic polymer and metallic precursors.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the protective shield comprises a shield body that protects at least one electrical component at least partially enclosed within a housing, and including locally concentrating a magnetic phase in at least one portion of the shield body to enhance a relative magnetic strength in the at least one portion of the shield body relative to a remaining portion of the shield body.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein the weight percentage range is from about 90/10 to 99/1.

15. A protective shield to protect an aircraft component from EMI or energy bursts comprising:

a shield body comprising a coated substrate or an integrated composite formed from a nano-structure material that includes a uniformly distributed base metal, and wherein a weight percentage range in the shield body is about 75/25 to about 99/1 weight percent of carbon-based or silicon-based nano-structure to magnetic nano-structure.

16. The protective shield according to claim 15 wherein the nano-structures are nanofibers, nanoparticulates, and/or beaded nanofibers.

17. The protective shield according to claim 16 wherein the nano-structures are electrospun or electrosprayed nano-structures.

18. The protective shield according to claim 15 wherein the nano-structure material is formed from a dope formed from a combination of a carbon-based or silicon-based preceramic polymer precursor and a metallic precursor.

19. The protective shield according to claim 18 wherein the preceramic polymer precursor is an inorganic polymer, and wherein the metallic precursor is a ferromagnetic metal or alloy.

20. The protective shield according to claim 19 wherein the inorganic polymer is at least one of polycarbosilanes, polysilazanes, polysiloxanes, polycarbosilazanes, polycarbosiloxanes, polysilsesquioxanes as well as metal-modified polymers of carbosilanes, silazanes, siloxanes, carbosilazanes, carbosiloxanes, or combinations thereof and wherein the magnetic metal is nickel, cobalt, iron, alloys of nickel, cobalt, or iron, rare earth alloys, or ferritic metal oxides.

21. The protective shield according to claim 15 wherein the shield body includes a locally concentrated magnetic phase in at least one portion to enhance a relative magnetic strength of the at least one portion relative to a remaining portion of the shield body.

22. The protective shield according to claim 15 wherein the weight percentage range is from about 90/10 to 99/1.

23. An aircraft component comprising:

a housing;

at least one electrical component at least partially enclosed within the housing; and

a protective shield to protect the electrical component from EMI or energy bursts, wherein the protective shield comprises a shield body comprising a coated substrate or an integrated composite formed from a nano-structure material that includes a uniformly distributed base metal, wherein a weight percentage range in the shield body is about 75/25 to about 99/1 weight percent of carbon-based or silicon-based nano-structure to magnetic nano-structure.

24. The aircraft component according to claim 23 wherein the nano-structures are electrospun or electrosprayed nano-structures.

25. The aircraft component according to claim 24 wherein the nano-structure material is formed from a dope formed from a combination of a carbon-based or silicon-based preceramic polymer precursor and a metallic precursor, and wherein the silicon-based preceramic polymer precursor is an inorganic polymer, and wherein the metallic precursor is a ferromagnetic metal or alloy.

26. The aircraft component according to claim 25 wherein the inorganic polymer is at least one of polycarbosilanes, polysilazanes, polysiloxanes, polycarbosilazanes, polycarbosiloxanes, polysilsesquioxanes as well as metal-modified polymers of carbosilanes, silazanes, siloxanes, carbosilazanes, carbosiloxanes, or combinations thereof and wherein the magnetic metal is nickel, cobalt, iron, alloys of nickel, cobalt, iron, rare earth alloys, or ferritic metal oxides.

27. The aircraft component according to claim 23 wherein the shield body includes a locally concentrated magnetic phase in at least one portion to enhance a relative magnetic strength of the at least one portion relative to a remaining portion of the shield body.

28. The aircraft component according to claim 23 wherein the weight percentage range is from about 90/10 to 99/1.