ABSTRACT
Historical use of biological and chemical threat agents against military and civilian personnel, and recent concern regarding willingness to use chemical weapons among terrorist groups, have prompted the governments of many Western nations to initiate programs on countermeasures against such agents. Protecting those who protect against chemical and biological threats is an important challenge and immediate task for the military as well as the science and technology communities. One of the important aims of the chemical and biological defense program of the U.S. military is individual protection. Individual protection is important for war fighters, first responders, and civilians in the event of exposure to chemical warfare (CW) agents, biotoxins, and toxic industrial chemicals. Protective barriers are needed that will not only provide the necessary protection against threat agents but also be comfortable to wearers. Achieving enhanced protection and comfort in a single protective suit is a challenge that is yet to be solved (DoD 2000, 2006, 2007). A recent report by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to the U.S. Congress has highlighted the importance of developing lightweight clothing with improved protection and enhanced strength that will also reduce the physiological burden caused by soldiers carrying heavy or
8.1 Introduction .................................................................................................203 8.2 Sorbent Materials ........................................................................................204 8.3 Selectively Permeable Materials for Protective Clothing ...........................208 8.4 Nanofibers and Their Applications ............................................................. 211 8.5 Functionalized Nanofibers .......................................................................... 213 8.6 Personnel Decontamination Materials ........................................................220 8.7 Conclusions ................................................................................................. 222 References .............................................................................................................. 223
bulky protective materials (DoD 2006). The overarching goal for the military is to provide maximum possible protection with the least possible logistical burden for the war fighter (Gurudatt et al. 1997; Lukey et al. 2004; DoD 2006, 2007). Thus, the primary focus of this chapter is on fiber-based protective materials that offer protection to war fighters and allow for personnel decontamination. This chapter discusses the current state of the art in protective and decontamination technologies such as sorbent fabrics, nanofibers, and particulate and nonparticulate nonaqueous decontamination materials.
