Federal Researchers Create 'Second Skin' to Shield Against Biological Threats

anatoliy_gleb/Shutterstock.com

The material shields wearers from chemical and biological agents and could pave the way to smart uniforms for troops and first responders.

A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory-led team of scientists has developed a breathable, protective smart fabric—deemed a “second skin”—that’s designed to shield wearers by responding, itself, to chemical and biological agents.

Researchers from the California-based lab, together with collaborators from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command recently completed the first phase of a project to create the cutting-edge material, which can autonomously react to microscopic dangers in its environment and might offer a glimpse into the future of smart uniforms worn by the military, first responders and more. 

“Combining breathability and protection in the same garment is very challenging, but key for their safe, extended use,” Francesco Fornasiero, the LLNL scientist leading the team told Nextgov Friday, detailing the inspiration behind the effort. 

As the novel coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated and amplified, military and other federal officials at times must expose themselves to toxic or contaminated environments and confront biological threats like viruses and bacteria or even smaller, chemical agents like sarin gas, firsthand. In those efforts, officials depend on the proper protective equipment to ensure their safety, however as Fornasiero indicated, standard protective fabrics’ makeup and absorbent layers inhibit breathability, or “the transfer of water vapor from the wearer’s body to the outside world.” 

The lab’s effort is funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Dynamic Multifunctional Materials for a Second Skin—or D[MS]2—program, which seeks to promote the technological development of next-generation clothing that provides military officials with robust protection from chemical and biological threats, while also offering wearers a level of comfort akin to being in their own skin. Over the last six or so years, Fornasiero and the team worked to create and refine their multifunctional material through the first phase of the program, which they recently completed and subsequently published details about in the scientific journal Advanced Functional Materials.

The base layer of their developed, smart fabric comprises trillions of aligned carbon nanotube pores, which according to the lab’s release of the work, are “graphitic cylinders with diameters more than 5,000 times smaller than a human hair.” The nanotubes are equipped to transport water molecules through their interior, thus ensuring necessary breathability, and they are also small enough to block biological threats. Grafted or “grown” onto that layer, is a threat-responsive polymer layer that can protect against the even tinier chemical threats that can fit through the nanotubes’ pores. Considered the “smart” layer, this dynamic chain of polymers can reversibly collapse when the wearer comes into contact with any risky chemical hazards.

“The response of the material is autonomous and local. It is triggered by the contact of the chemical threat with the polymers on the surface of the membrane,” Fornasiero explained. “The polymer chains are normally extended (or open state), but when the chemical threat reaches the material surface, the polymer chains stack together and collapse, leading to pore closure and limiting permeation of the threat across the membrane.”

Meeting the initial project requirements to balance comfort and defense within the same garment, the team is moving on to the next phase, which will involve producing even further protection against more chemical threats—and making the material more stretchable, “for a better body fit, thus more closely mimicking the human skin,” the release states. Fornasiero noted those next steps will likely occur over three years. On top of that, he said full deployment of such a smart uniform, which would be suited for work across warzones and clinical and medical settings, may take an additional five or more years. 

The “best case scenario” outcome of the efforts, in his eyes, would be the fruition of protective military garments that are very breathable—“and thus so comfortable”—they can be worn all the time.

“This would eliminate the problem of changing gears when you may be entering a contaminated area, as well as enable use for long operations without risking heat stress or stroke,” Fornasiero said. “Also, since the protection is autonomous, a wearer would be protected even in situations where he is unaware of the presence of a threat.”

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.