**Acknowledgements**

The authors thank Dr. Whitney Mason of DARPA/MTO for technical discussions and guidance. We would like to thank Ms. Susan Celis and Mr. Oscar Cerna of DARPA for their ongoing support. This research was developed with Phase II SBIR Programs from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Army Research Laboratory (ARL). The views, opinions and/ or findings expressed are those of the author and should not be interpreted as representing the official views or policies of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited).

*Nanorods and Nanocomposites*
