LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGHLY BREATHABLE HYBRIDSIL DRYSUIT FABRICS WITH INSTANT WATERTIGHT SEALING

Current Naval Aviator drysuits employ waterproof breathable membranes that provide protection during emergency cold water immersion yet afford minimal air and water vapor permeation. Consequently, evaporative cooling from the aviator's skin is drastically reduced resulting in problematic perspiration accumulation that reduces comfort and mission readiness during standard operations, as well as garment insulation during cold water ditching. To address this challenge, NanoSonic employed NAVAIR SBIR funding to establish the technical framework necessary to equip Naval Aviator drysuits with innovative reversibly collapsible, microporous HybridSil gel membranes that have the potential to provide a previously unavailable combination of air permeability, immediate water tight sealing, and environmental durability. A Phase II SBIR transition will provide a pivotal funding bridge toward Phase III maturation of NanoSonic's very promising, empirically validated breathable and waterproof membrane technology. Building from its Phase I success and technical foundation, NanoSonic will work to further enhance the air permeability, water vapor permeability, environmental durability, and hydrostatic resistance of its membrane technology while meeting NAVAIR's performance targets. Working with its Phase II commercial integration partner, NanoSonic will complete multiple laboratory water proof demonstrations and leakage testing on three full-scale, seam-sealed Naval Aviator drysuits in turbulent water while establishing roll-to-roll manufacturing techniques.