U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center
AMSSB-RSS-MS
Natick, MA 01760-5020
Development and Applications of Electrospun Membranes
Military, firefighters, law enforcement and medical personnel require high level protection when dealing
with chemical and biological threats in many environments ranging from combat to urban, agricultural and
industrial accidents. Current protective clothing is based on full barrier protection, such as hazardous material
(HAZMAT) suits, or based upon permeable adsorptive protective garments such as the U.S. Military protective
over-garments. New protective garment systems are envisioned that contain new features, including the
capability of selectively blocking toxic chemicals, chemical destruction of toxic materials that contact the fabric
and detecting hazardous agents on the surface of the fabric. New membrane approaches are being pursued for
enhanced chemical and biological protection. One approach is the development of reactive nanofiber
membranes produced from electrospinning of polymers, agent catalysts.
Novel catalyst-embedded nanostructured fabrics have been prepared and evaluated at the U.S. Army Natick
Soldier Center for potential application as a self-detoxifying clothing liner for chemical and biological
protective clothing. Interesting features of the nanostructured fabrics are high surface area and micropores that
have imparted beneficial properties to the fabric liner, including high aerosol penetration resistance, enhanced
breakdown reaction rates against chemical warfare agent simulants, a high degree of water vapor permeation,
and a controllable air flow resistance at the liner layer. Fibers of this nanostructured liner are prepared by
electrospinning solutions of polymers containing a blend of 1) reactive ingredients that break down various
chemical agents, and 2) antimicrobial compounds for protection against biologic al threats. The process of
electrospinning will be reviewed. Physical, chemical, and transport properties of these electrospun liners will
be discussed as they relate to strength, elasticity, detoxification reactivity, breathability and aerosol protection
for use in future chemical/biological protective clothing and other potential applications.