Transcript
Dr. Teresa Bandosz a chemical engineer at City College of New York recently developed smart textiles with the ability to rapidly detect and neutralize nerve gas. As explained in the journal, Nanoscale Horizons, this groundbreaking discovery could potentially reduce the threat posed by chemical warfare agents.
The fabric consists of a cotton support modified with Copper-BTC and oxidized graphitic carbon nitride composites. The oxidized graphitic carbon nitride composites were developed previously by Bandosz and tested as a nerve agent detoxification medium. Combining this with Copper-BTC resulted in a nanocomposite of heterogeneous porosity and chemistry.
Upon the deposition of the nanocomposite onto cotton textiles, a stable fabric exhibiting supreme photocatalytic detoxification capability with respect to nerve gas, resulted.
The detoxification process was accompanied by a visible and gradual color change, which could be used for the selective detection of chemical warfare agents and for monitoring their penetration inside a protective layer.
The smart textiles produced almost 7 grams of nerve gas detoxification products per gram of copper. This superior performance was linked to the high dispersion of the oxidized graphitic carbon nitride crystals on the fibers, and a specific texture promoting the availability of the active copper centers.
Bandosz is now seeking funding for additional research.
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