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    Materially Responsive

    Materially Responsive

    Courtesy Photo | The Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN) consists of electroactive conducting...... read more read more

    FT. BELVOIR, VA, UNITED STATES

    02.23.2023

    Courtesy Story

    Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Chemical and Biological Technologies Department

    When the Joint Force conducts missions in a chemically or biologically contaminated operational environment, they wear protective garments, but these garments burden warfighters by increasing heat retention and restricting movement, which reduces their mission effectiveness. To reduce burden while maintaining or improving protection, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Chemical and Biological Technologies Department in its role as the Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) for the Chemical and Biological Defense Program is investing with the Powerhouse Consulting Group (PCG), an industry leader in textile fabrication, to produce a prototype fabric for lightweight protective garments that would replace the current hot, heavy, and cumbersome Joint Force chemical and biological (CB) overgarment.

    The current CB overgarment is the Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST), which is a carbon-based protective system that provides full-spectrum protection against chemical warfare agents (CWAs), but its heat retention and movement burdens impact mission performance. To address these burdens, DTRA JSTO is developing a lighter-weight fabric coated with switchable polymers, called an Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN) as a component of a next-generation, responsive, triggerable, chemical-threat overgarment that is lightweight, more flexible, allows high moisture and heat transfer in uncontaminated environments, and only protects and restricts moisture and heat transfer in the presence of CWAs.

    The IPN has two configurations: an open configuration that allows air and moisture vapor transfer through the fabric making it more breathable, and a protective closed configuration that prevents moisture vapor and CWAs from passing through. Polymer configurations can be switched using a triggering electrical signal that has the potential to be linked to a chemical agent detector so that protection increases immediately upon detection.

    There are several advantages to an environmentally responsive protective garment:

    • First, the garment can be worn in uncontaminated environments with reduced physical burden compared to current protective garments.

    • Second, protection increases as soon as the threat is detected, reducing the risk of exposure to the wearer.

    • Third, the versatility of a responsive protective garment means that it can possibly serve as both a service uniform and CB protective garment, which may reduce the overall cost of protective garments.


    To enrich the CB workforce, part of the PCG staff developing these next-generation protective garments are adults within the autism spectrum. PCG’s Science and Arts for Lifetime Employment Skills (SCALES) program employs an underserved but vastly talented pool of autistic adults who are developing high-tech lab skills in areas aligned with the DTRA JSTO mission. These protective garment-specific skills include dip coating, spray coating, screen printing, and sample preparation steps for measurements, all which require attention to detail and pattern recognition. The SCALES program trains autistic students and promotes job placement with prospective employers that include small businesses, large businesses, and national laboratories. Though autistic adults may be challenged with social and communication skills, they are very capable of working in environments requiring complex and multistep processes with minimal guidance.

    Together, DTRA JSTO and PCG are developing textile fabric components for future responsive garments while also training autistic-spectrum adults in skills valued by the Department of Defense. The optimal base fabric will be selected for stretchability, washability, availability, and cost. PCG will test swatches of IPN fabric with CWAs and those that perform well will guide the development of prototype, next-generation, responsive protective garments that minimize physical burden in uncontaminated environments and respond rapidly in the presence of contamination to increase protection. This reduces the risk of exposure for the Joint Force, improves garment versatility, reduces mission impact, and may lead to reduced costs.

    POC: Kendra McCoy, Ph.D., kendra.m.mccoy.civ@mail.mil

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.23.2023
    Date Posted: 02.23.2023 22:22
    Story ID: 439080
    Location: FT. BELVOIR, VA, US
    Web Views: 293
    Downloads: 0

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    SCALES
    JSLIST
    overgarment
    protective garments
    switchable polymers
    Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN)

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