Alexium Government Solutions LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: 50/50 Nylon/Cotton (NyCo) fabric is currently used for many standard issue combat uniforms

Description

50/50 Nylon/Cotton (NyCo) fabric is currently used for many standard issue combat uniforms, such as the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU) and the equivalent ACU/ABU equivalents in other DoD services. While 50/50 NyCo fabrics are proven performers in combat uniforms and are a relatively inexpensive, 50/50 NyCo fabrics have no flame resistant properties and can cause serious burn injury if the soldier is exposed to flames or attacked by an improvised explosive devices (IEDs). 50/50 Ny/Co fabrics melt and drip when exposed to high heat, sticking to the skin and intensifying soldier (burn) injuries. The goal of the proposed effort is to demonstrate a topical treatment process for 50/50 NyCo that can compete with expensive, inherently flame resistant FR fabrics on performance, while adding little additional cost to 50/50 NyCo garments. Alexium is proposing a novel and innovative approach to meeting the requirements of combat clothing. Specifically, Alexium is proposing a project that will establish the feasibility of applying an inexpensive and highly effective, topical treatment on standard military nylon/cotton fabric. In this project, Alexium is proposing to combine, in novel ways, derivations of an environmentally safe, halogen free, FR treatment - already developed for nylon fabrics - with FR chemistries traditionally used in cotton applications.