Stretchable Barrier Materials for CBRN Protective Clothing

LaunchBay proposes to develop a fluorine-free breathable barrier for next generation Class 3 protective garments. Through material and structure design, this project will develop a new material that is: Resistant to chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic chemicals listed in the National Fre Protection Association (NFPA) 1994 standard, i.e. the amount of chemicals permeated within an hour of exposure is below the threshold specified in the NFPA 1994 standard. Ģ Durable and stretchable materials with barrier capabilities are attractive to Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear (CBRN) protective ensembles due to their potential to significantly improve comfort and agility while keeping the wearer protected in a contaminated environment. Many innovative products have been developed for the chemical protective clothing market, however, the need for technology that improves end-user comfort remains largely unmet due to the lack of lightweight and stretchable barrier materials. In Phase I, LaunchBay developed a unique barrier material solution that is simultaneously strong, lightweight, flexible, stretchable and drapable. This material demonstrated reversible biaxial stretchability and met chemical barrier requirements of NFPA 1994 Class I Materials against liquid and vapor challenges. Building on the promising results of Phase I, the previous Phase II program developed large swatches of the barrier material and demonstrated feasibility of the barrier material in making full size hazmat suit prototypes. In the sequential Phase II, LaunchBayÆs goal is to further develop the core technology demonstrated in Phase I and optimize relevant structures and manufacturing processes to bring it closer to the intended applications. This goal will be achieved by working closely with the customer and end users, identifying the optimum path to bring the product to the market, and setting the right milestones in the development process. The solution developed in this SBIR program will be a key enabler of the next generation of lightweight and comfortable CBRN protective ensembles in both military and non-military markets.