Materials Research for the Development of Agent Standard Reference Materials and Analytical Test Apparatus

Development and production of semi-permeable and permselective polymer membranes can fill a critical need for standard reference materials for AVLAG, CBART, and IPE acquisition programs. Optimizing the permselectivity of tri-block copolymers to specific chemical agents, non-traditional agents, and toxic industrial chemicals and materials will result in the formation of suitable and affordable reference materials. Selectivity and specificity will be enhanced by blending and coating copolymer foundations with novel dendrimers, thus regulating the flow of organics and humidity through the membranes. Employing an advanced real-time analytical test system to evaluate the membranes' performance is a vital aspect of this work. The analysis of the membranes is the key to the success of this project. By employing an analytical test system that can provide direct correlation to the membranes' expected performance under DPG and AVLAG test conditions, the likelihood of delivering a successful candidate as efficiently as possible for the U.S. Army is greatly improved.