Color-Based Polyoxometalate (POM) Cellulosic Detector Strips for Chemical Warfare Agents

The overall objective of this Phase II program is to produce, by the end of the two-year effort, a low-cost, ready-to-use, field-deployable simple kit comprising paper, wood or plastic strips that detect the principal chemical warfare agents (CWAs) - Mustard, Sarin, Soman, and VX - in liquid as well as vapor forms, by fast and dramatic color changes. Our Phase I work produced prototype demonstration strips constituted by polyoxometalates (POMs) incorporated into paper that exhibit these color changes and other operationally key features: (1) No other reagent or energy source (heat, light, electricity) is needed for the detectors to function; (2) They work significantly better than the existing (M8 and M9) paper strips for simple CWA detection (color changes are more dramatic and faster on exposure to CWA simulants); (3) They distinguish between the different agents more effectively; and (4) In sharp contrast to the M8 and M9 papers, their efficacy (color change chemistry), isn't affected by common battlefield fluids (gasoline, oils, sunscreen, insect repellent, etc.). The chemistry behind all these key features will be elucidated using simulants as well as optimized using live agents in the Phase II work. These collective properties of our CWA-detecting strips will make them valuable assets to our troops, even those dressed in MOPP protective gear, by enhancing personnel protection and safety and thus indirectly their combat readiness.