LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGHLY BREATHABLE HYBRIDSIL DRYSUIT FABRICS WITH INSTANT WATERTIGHT SEALING

Through the proposed Navy SBIR program, NanoSonic will create game-changing HybridSil drysuit fabrics that provide a previously unavailable combination of breathability and immediate, passive water tight sealing. NanoSonics drysuit fabric technology will afford equivalent breathability to state-of-the-art waterproof breathable fabrics (WB) yet instantly provide immersed Naval Aviators with a durable, watertight barrier. To meet this challenge, NanoSonic will design, synthesize, and empirically validate an innovative, lightweight ( 6 hours. When this fabric ensemble is immersed, the differential pressure resulting from the air to water transition will provide a compressive force that transversely deforms / collapses micro patterned gel elastomers into a coalesced, watertight barrier that is both flexible and durable. When the compressive force is removed upon exiting from the water, the elastomeric resilience of the gel microarrays will enable complete restoration to their original pattern and restored waterproof breathable performance. NanoSonic has successfully developed state-of-art HybridSil Diver Armor drysuit materials that have completed multiple successful form, fit, and function NEDU evaluations with Navy Divers and will build from this experience to realize its Navy SBIR goals.