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New industrial processes make advanced protective garments for the Joint Force lighter, more effective, and easier to produce at scale.
The next generation of chemical and biological protective garments will be lighter and cooler, and will capture, self-detox, and neutralize chemical weapon agents (CWAs) within 24 hours. The current chemical and biological (CB) protective garments effectively shield the Joint Force from exposure to CWAs, however, these garments are bulky, restrict movement, and are a significant heat burden. Once contaminated, these current protective garments cannot be reused because the chemical contamination remains trapped in the garment material and could be a residual threat. Also, there is a significant logistic and cost burden associated with replacing contaminated protective garments.
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Chemical and Biological Technologies Department in its role as the Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) for Chemical and Biological Defense, an integral component of the Chemical and Biological Defense Program, partnered with industry performer NuMat Technologies to create protective garments that are regenerating, self-detoxifying, and reusable, while also improving their thermal burden, fit, flexibility, weight, and service life.
The researchers’ strategy uses two simultaneous approaches to create next-generation protective garments. The first uses new fabric and state-of-the-art fabrication and lamination techniques to create garments that are lighter, fit better, and improve moisture vapor transfer. The second approach incorporates new, specialized adsorbent materials that capture and retain chemicals. NuMat developed adsorbents that capture and reactively destroy CWAs, which would enhance or even replace current adsorbent technologies.
NuMat developed a prototype self-detoxifying garment with zirconium-based metal organic frameworks (MOFs) as new adsorbents embedded into the garment fabric. MOFs absorb CWAs and chemically react to detoxify the threat over time, while enhancing capture capacity and decontamination capabilities. MOFs offer ultra-high porosity and vast surface area and are capable of effectively removing contaminants using a wide range of technologies, but traditionally they have been tedious and expensive to manufacture. NuMat recently developed processes to manufacture MOFs on an industrial scale and have successfully integrated them into protective garment fabrics.
Industrial-scale MOF manufacturing is the result of decades of DTRA JSTO investments in basic and applied research. Practical applications of MOFs include chemical sensing, water purification, hydrogen gas storage, and breakdown of toxic chemicals. Scientists recognized the potential application of MOFs for breaking down toxic chemicals, and DTRA JSTO began a long-term commitment to fund academic researchers to develop and characterize highly reactive and adsorbent MOFs for efficient toxic chemical destruction. These efforts helped develop the fundamental principles of MOF synthesis at the University of California, Berkeley, and other academic institutions.
Simultaneously, DTRA JSTO funded U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and industry laboratories to apply the results of fundamental research toward improving MOF synthesis, scaling, and integration into textile fabrics. At first, the synthesis process was slow, expensive, and generated only micrograms of functional MOFs. As JSTO fundamental research investments continued and techniques advanced, costs decreased, and yields improved. Similarly, researchers developed techniques to stabilize MOF crystals on fabric fibers and engineer them into yards of garment material.
Recently, NuMat announced construction of the world’s first industrial-scale MOF manufacturing campus in Chicago, Illinois. This site will use digital technologies to accelerate the development of MOF-based solutions and allow for high-volume manufacturing, such as for self-detoxifying garments. NuMat is collaborating with the U.S. Combat Capability Development Command Soldier Center (DEVCOM SC) to test protective garment prototypes. They will use standardized whole-system test methods to evaluate CWA absorbance and detoxification, followed by moisture vapor transfer, flexibility, durability, and laundering. When prototypes are available, DEVCOM SC will use live CWAs and perform whole system testing to compare prototype garment performance using operationally relevant test methods.
This ongoing collaboration of industry and DoD laboratories will develop self-detoxifying, protective overgarments that will absorb and destroy contamination within 24 hours instead of just absorbing it like the activated carbon currently used. This greatly reduces the risk of contact exposure for warfighters and ensures that garments can be reused, which will increase service life and reduce garment costs, while meeting or exceeding CWA protection, reducing thermal burden, and providing better fit and mobility.
POC: Kendra McCoy, Ph.D., Kendra.m.mccoy.civ@mail.mil
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.29.2024 20:54 |
| Story ID: | 472508 |
| Location: | FT. BELVOIR, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 526 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Detoxification by the Yard, by Diane Williams, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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