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MATERIAL SCIENTISTS HAVE developed a decontaminating wipe that can neutralise a number of hazardous chemicals including organic solvents.

Seshadri Ramkumar, assistant professor at the nonwoven and advanced materials laboratory, Texas Tech University, US, says the new non-particulate material will reduce the number of civilian and military casualties that are exposed to toxic chemicals and chemical warfare.

Ramkumar used a needle-punching nonwoven process to construct a non-particulate layered composite with an inner layer of activated carbon fibre, which decontaminates personnel and equipment. The research concentrated specifically on the chemical blister agent sulphur mustard and showed that the novel dry wipe’s adsorption efficiency is significantly higher than that of particulate activated carbon and similar to that of US military med-kits.

The wipe also shows promise against hazardous hydrophilic and hydrophobic chemicals including concentrated acids, organic solvents, and mild oxidants. The team says that a dry wipe is better than a conventional particulate or liquid decontaminant which could be inhaled to cause lung damage, and spilt on electronic equipment respectively.

The research is published in 3 December issue of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research.