Shape Memory Antimicrobial Radioprotective Textiles™ (SMART™) Garments

While radiation shielding primarily depends on mass density and thickness, NanoSonic has physically demonstrated 1) self-assembled SMART garments based on high z nanostructured elements that do not emit harmful secondary radiation, and 2) significant improvements in gamma ray attenuation (under 137Cs) relative to several commercial shielding garments to reach TRL 5. During Phase I of this DARPA DSO program, NanoSonic has modeled and synthetically engineered flexible, radioprotective garments using an elegant, layer-by-layer, design to yield Thoraeus-like filter architectures with well defined gradients of multiple high z elements. The shape memory polymer (SMP) constituent within the textiles mitigates cracking to prevent harmful energy foraging apertures and exhibits durable radiation resistance upon reconfiguration; a property that few, if any, flexible materials exhibit. Active breathability has also been demonstrated via introduction of tailored size nanopores within the thermoresponsive SMP. NanoSonic shall optimize our microbe growth inhibiting, comfortable, radioprotective SMART Garments to reach TRL 8 at the conclusion of the Phase II program with assistance from our radiation analysis and defense prime partners. TRL 9 shall be reached upon transition to the field into for use in Hazmat and U.S. Army Special Forces Suits such as the Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST).