Big idea: the vision is to construct the first scalable, rubbery ultrabarrier membrane that defies the traditional trade-off between impermeability and mechanical stretchability ¿ with oxygen (OTR)…

The Department of the Interior Departmental Offices Interior Business Center awarded a Cooperative Agreement of $250,000 to Sri International on September 1, 2026, for development of a scalable, rubbery ultrabarrier membrane that combines impermeability with mechanical stretchability, targeting oxygen and moisture transmission rates that outperform metallized plastic laminates while exhibiting greater than fifty-fold higher operating pliability compared to standard nanocomposites. The award funds research addressing the loading limits of classical nanocomposites, specifically overcoming uncontrolled particle aggregation and matrix stiffening that currently prevent achievement of the theoretical 1550 percent two-dimensional filler loading predicted by the Cussler model for hermeticity in rubber. The intended application is pliable hermetic packaging for safe, durable shape-morphable electronics. The award is made under the Research and Technology Development federal grant program (CFDA 12.910), which supports basic, applied, and advanced research at educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and commercial firms with potential military or dual-use application. Sri International, a nonprofit research and development organization headquartered in Menlo Park, California, will perform the work at that location. The period of performance runs through August 31, 2028.

Big idea: the vision is to construct the first scalable, rubbery ultrabarrier membrane that defies the traditional trade-off between impermeability and mechanical stretchability ¿ with oxygen (OTR) and moisture (wvtr) transmission rates outperform the standard metallized plastic laminates, and exhibit >50 folds higher operating pliability. Problem to solve: the ¿loading limit¿ of classical nanocomposites. While cussler model predicts 15¿50% 2D-filler loading in rubber for hermeticity, current fabrication methods make IT impossible to achieve due to uncontrolled particle aggregation and matrix stiffening. Importance: pliable hermetic packaging unlocks the potential for safe, durable shape morphable electronics.