INTELLISENSE SYSTEMS INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: A19-063

Description

To address the U.S. Army need for a heat transmitting/heat trapping textile, Intellisense Systems, Inc. (Intellisense) proposes, in Phase II, to continue advancing the development of the new Heat-Transmitting NyCo Textile (HENT) proven feasible in Phase I. The HENT technology is based on a hybrid passive cooling approach that uses mid-infrared, transparency-enhanced, textile-grade, nylon yarns with individual filament sizes optimized for optical transparency in the human thermal radiation spectrum. The novel use of nanoparticle-infused nylon fibers with predetermined filament sizes allows for enhanced heat transmission from the body to the environment, increasing the wearer’s comfort. This smart textile offers efficient personal thermal cooling for the entire body while retaining standard textile properties without significant cost or weight penalty, making it well suited for future military clothing. In Phase I, Intellisense designed and fabricated a single-layer HENT fabric prototype and demonstrated feasibility through laboratory tests and simulations. A HENT fabric design with the technical specifications and cost analysis was also completed. Our result proved that HENT has nearly 30% better thermal transfer properties compared to the standard NyCo fabric. Based on the Phase I results, Intellisense determined that the nylon nanocomposite fibers can be considerably improved using a mixture of novel nanomaterials and a refined design for lowering cost and enabling high-volume manufacturing. In Phase II, Intellisense will develop, test, validate, and advance the HENT design, leading to delivery of eight samples of one square foot each for the Army’s evaluation. Intellisense will also deliver a final report that documents the fabrication methods, includes a cost model for volume production, and provides the design, development, and test methods.