New Versatile Polymer Counters Both Chemical and Biological Threats
Because terrorists rarely announce the technical details of their nefarious intentions beforehand, the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction is not only great, it's multifaceted. So a team from the McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine has synthesized a polyurethane fiber mesh that is as variable as the terrorist threat. By mimicking biological tissues like the skin that respond to shifting environments, the a multifunctional polymer can decontaminate a range of both biological agents and chemical toxins. Most biological and chemical weapons countermeasures are threat-specific, dealing with one particular agent or another. This new polymer mesh contains enzymes that catalyze the production of bromine or iodine, which are deft killers of a range of bacteria. But it also contains chemicals that spur the production of nerve-agent-detoxifying compounds, making the polymer equally efficient at neutralizing chemical threats. The mesh itself is versatile as well; the researchers think they can develop it into coatings,...