Achieving Dynamic Thermal Management with Novel Materials

As potential battlefields expand the globe from the equator to the arctic, universal thermal personnel management needs to keep up. This is no more true than in underwater environments where the thermal conductivity of water versus air makes thermal management difficult. Traditional wetsuits only offer thermal protection to the wearer down to ~ 50 °F, and dry suits typically worn at lower temperatures are bulky, impeding diver mobility. Mantel Technologies has identified a novel nanomaterial with extraordinary thermal properties that can be integrated into traditional dive suits for superior thermal management. Our novel material has both low thermal conductivity and high infrared reflection allowing for a multipronged approach to thermal management in dive suits. We propose, with our academic partners, to integrate this novel material into traditional dive suit material sets to offer superior thermal insulation without dramatically changing dive suit design.