The 4^th World Conference on Advanced Materials for Defense Aux Defense 2024 took place in the Portuguese city of Braga in June 2024. It brought together researchers, technologists, military personnel and students with a strong interest in advanced materials for defense applications. This premier event serves as a convergence point for the brightest minds in the field, fostering the exchange of ideas and the latest advancements in materials science tailored to defense and civil use. It is designed to cover a broad spectrum of topics, reflecting the multifaceted nature of defense materials research. Objectives included improving equipment performance, reducing weight, enhancing durability, enabling stealth, providing protection, increasing energy efficiency, advancing propulsion and electronics, addressing chemical and biological threats, leveraging additive manufacturing, promoting sustainability, countering threats, strengthening supply chains and fostering dual-use technologies. This research is crucial for enhancing defense capabilities, protecting personnel and maintaining a technological edge, and requires collaboration among academia, industry and other stakeholders.

The Scientific Program comprised a variety of sessions including keynotes and international experts invited to deliver lively discussions on specialty topics. The cutting-edge research related to defense is delivered through oral communication sessions, each one offering a unique opportunity to amass the latest scientific and technical novelties in advanced materials for defense, including equipment and soldier protective systems.

More than 120 oral and poster presentations were included, showcasing a wealth of knowledge and groundbreaking studies. As an invited speaker, RELIANCE partner Fabiana Arduini, UNITOV had the honor of presenting the results obtained in the project with regard to the use of paper in miniaturized sensors. In the field of biosensors, the use of paper has established a new application route considering its several features, as follows:

• capillary-driven flowing pathways avoiding the use of external pumps
• capability to work as a reservoir for storing the reagents, delivering a reagent-free analytical tool
• ability to work without sample treatment, i.e. filtration and dilution
• flexibility and foldability, boosting the origami configuration easily without any additional device
• feature to work as a reactor to synthesize inside nanomaterials by following a sustainable approach
• ability to detect the target analyte not only in solution but also in aerosol and solid samples without any sampling system
• characteristics to design combined hybrid systems to boost easy analysis, overcoming the on-going limitation using polyester-based printed electrochemical biosensors.
  

The advantages of using paper-based electrochemical biosensors have also been demonstrated in the defense field. In her presentation, she reported on the research activity carried out in the UNITOV and ISBD group she leads, focused on paper-based point-of-care devices, including the last results obtained within RELIANCE. Their latest results underline the versatility and effectiveness of these paper-sensors, reinforcing their importance in advancing technologies.

Presenting RELIANCE at Aux Defense 2024 brings great value to the project results’ visibility as the event underscores the critical role of advanced materials in enhancing defense capabilities, protecting personnel and maintaining a technological edge. Furthermore, the conference fostered collaboration among academia, industry and other stakeholders, ensuring a multidisciplinary approach to tackling the complex challenges faced by the defense and security sector. By bringing together experts from diverse fields, Aux Defense 2024 not only showcases the latest innovations but also paves the way for future breakthroughs in materials science for various applications.

Contributor: University of Rome Tor Vergata