Microfiber-Based Closures with Hermetic Sealing for Chem Bio Protective Garments

Hook and loop closures in Army uniforms have been identified as the critical sources of leaks in protective clothing/equipment, which limits the overall protective capability of the ensemble. New closure systems capable of providing both the shear and peel strengths demonstrated by hook and loop systems as well as hermetic sealing against any vapor permeation across the closure need to be developed to address this shortfall to reduce the dangers of Warfighter exposure to Chemical or Biological Agents. In this proposal, we explore developing and optimizing new closure systems which achieve the same range of peel and lap shear strength performance as control hook and loop closures while demonstrating several magnitude order better resistance to vapor permeation such systems. This will be accomplished through a new closure system proposed to be based on polymer microfiber adhesives inspired by the foot-hairs found on geckos. The proposal describes a methodology to design, fabricate, and evaluate these closure systems, leveraging previous research team experience in both bio-inspired micropatterned closure development and incorporation of these materials into systems with hermetic sealing requirements.