Novel Membrane-based Fabrics and Materials for Chemical and Biological Protection

To develop effective barriers against chemical and biological threat (CBT), novel types of barriers are being proposed based on novel membranes and membrane structures. Three types of membranes are proposed to be investigated. Under Aim A, advanced highly-ordered laminated membrane-based breathable fabric will be developed and studied for chemical and biological protection. The laminated structure will be developed on a porous and flexible substrate to serve as a protective fabric/barrier against toxic gases and vapors. It will however have a very high permeability for moisture. The transport characteristics of various gases and vapors will be studied and the barrier characterized. The laminate will also be subjected to high energy radiation to determine its capacity to protect against radiation hazards. The viability of cells protected by such a barrier will be studied. Under Aim B, the research effort will selectively tune the effective pore size in lyotropic liquid crystal membranes to allow water vapor transport while rejecting chemical warfare agent simulants of interest to DTRA. The ability to modify the effective pore size is accomplished by ion-exchange of the mobile ion in the hydrophilic pore region. Under Aim C, the goal is to create extremely efficient mixed matrix membranes which can act effectively against toxic gases and vapors by destroying them. The mixed matrix membrane will incorporate compounds that are called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) or metal oxides/hydroxides to carry out the reactive destruction of hazardous gases.