Nanolayer-Coated Flame-Retardant Fabrics for Space Crew Clothing

nbsp;NASA is seeking effective flame retardant (FR) treatment for next-to-the-skin crew clothing. This treatment must be compatible with fabrics relevant to the NASA space crew. The treated clothing must remain: (1) nontoxic even under flame, (2) comfortably wearable, (3) durable to withstand multiple washing/drying cycles, and (4) resistant to combustion in an atmosphere of 36% oxygen at a pressure of 8.2 psi (56.5 kPa). Currently, there exists a technology gap to meet FR needs for crew clothing. Toward this, InnoSense LLC (ISL) will continue developing durable FR treatment using non-halogenated and nontoxic organophosphorus materials (FROMtrade;). In Phase I, ISL demonstrated the technical feasibility by achieving permanent FR coating for polyester (PET) fabrics. Test data showed high coating durability, soft-to-the-touch attribute, nontoxicity, insignificant weight gain, limited oxygen index of ge;56%, and excellent FR performance in both 20% and 36% O2 environments, thereby, exceeding Phase I performance targets. In Phase II, ISL will focus on the optimization and scale-up of treatment process, and perform rigorous testing. Evaluation and validation of FROM-treated fabric in a simulated space environment are also planned. At the end of Phase II, FROM-treated prototype fabric samples will be delivered to NASA for evaluation.