Nanoparticle Based Chemical / Biological Decontamination System for Air Force Parts and Components

Although the surface decontamination of parts / equipment exposed to chemical and biological warfare agents takes place at forward operating areas, there is need for a system to eliminate the possibility of exposure to repair depot personnel and facilities from contaminated parts / components (e.g., decon in deep cracks and crevices of the parts). The objective of this program is to develop and demonstrate a novel, spray-applied, liquid-based, facility expedient system for the decontamination of mechanical parts and assemblies from chemical and biological warfare agents. The decontamination system will be rapid, thorough, harmless to the part, safe for personnel, result in non-toxic waste products and possess long shelf life. Past efforts by NanoScale have demonstrated the efficacy of nanotechnologies for the capture and subsequent neutralization of chemical agents (HD, GB, GD, and VX). Because of this prior work, the primary objective of this project is to demonstrate materials compatibility of this system. Work performed during Phase I will also demonstrate the neutralization of a number of actual parts contaminated with chemical and biological simulants (for HD, GB, and Anthrax). Phase II of the program will expand on the development and perform field-testing of the prototype described in this proposal.