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US SCIENTISTS have developed new fabric for military uniforms, impregnated with carbon nanotubes that they say repels both chemical and biological weapons.

According to the team, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the material will be designed to undergo a rapid transition from a normal, breathable state, to one that will seal it off from external threats. It uses membranes made from vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which have been modified with a functional layer that responds to chemical warfare agents, such as nerve gas. When it detects these close to the membrane surface, the fabric switches to a protective state by closing the CNT pore entrance or by shedding the contaminated surface layer.

“The uniform will be like a smart second skin that responds to the environment,” says project leader Francesco Fornasiero. “Without the need of an external control system, the fabric will be able to switch reversibly from a highly-breathable state to a protective one in response to the presence of the environmental threat. In the protective state, the uniform will block the chemical threat while maintaining a good breathability level.”

As well as this, the team is in the process of working a second response scheme into the fabric. Much in the same way that skin peels off when challenged with dangerous external factors, such as sunburn, the fabric will exfoliate upon reaction with the chemical agent. In this way, the fabric will be able to block chemical agents such as mustard gas, toxins, and biological spores such as anthrax.

Funding for the project came from the US’ Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), which has pledged to put US$13m towards the research over the next five years. According to the scientists, the new uniforms could be deployed in the field in less than ten years.

“Development of chemical threat responsive CNT membranes is a great example of a novel material’s potential to provide innovative solutions for the Department of Defence,” says Tracee Harris, the DTRA science and technology manager for the project. “This futuristic uniform would allow our military forces to operate safely for extended time periods and successfully complete their missions in environments contaminated with chemical and biological warfare agents.”