IPFN at Téc4Defence
Téc4Defence, the first event at IST dedicated to the theme of Defence, took place on 14 November at Técnico Innovation Center alongside the Industry Day organised by the Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM). The event gathered students, researchers and industry partners to explore how emerging technologies can support Europe’s defence environment.At the exhibition area, IPFN presented a patented plasma based process for producing customised graphene and related materials. The resulting high quality graphene derivatives, designed for direct integration into coatings, fibres, ceramics and polymer matrices, allow the development of lightweight, high performance composites with clear potential for defence applications.
The institute’s contribution featured the Hypersonic Plasmas Laboratory, which hosts the European Shock Tube for High Enthalpy Research (ESTHER), an experimental facility funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). The activities also included a quantum communication demonstrator from Quantum Information & Quantum Optics hub (QIQO), the joint IPFN–Instituto de Telecomunicações laboratory dedicated to quantum information and quantum optics.
“Quantum computers are a daily threat to cryptography”, warned Catarina Bastos, a Técnico alumna who became an expert in quantum-mechanical modelling of different physical aspects of the universe during her PhD and postdoctoral work at IPFN, now Head of Secure Communications and Quantum Technologies at Daimos, who spoke on the panel “New Technologies in the Defence of Portugal and Europe”.
Téc4Defence was organised by several student groups at Técnico, namely NFIST, AeroTéc, LISAT, Fórum Mecânica and NEEC, in collaboration with the DEM. This edition expanded through its integration with Industry Day, which focused on the theme “Technology, Industry and Defence: Synergies for Development”. The joint initiative created a platform for dialogue between the academic community and key stakeholders in the national technology and defence ecosystem.📷 Detailed view of high-precision optical components (Thorlabs Nexus) used for research in QIQO Lab © Instituto Superior Técnico
