SBIR-STTR Award

The threat posed by the effective delivery of lethal Chem/Bio (CB) agents remains one of the key concerns in the defense against catastrophic attacks today and into the foreseeable future. There are many situations where a high pressure resistant, flexible, hermetic closure system is required to protect against such exposure. Conventional fastening options for such applications generally consist of zippers, hook and loop closures, or zip-track systems. However, these systems all include problematic drawbacks for critical applications. Among other deficiencies, zippers and hook and loop systems are inflexible, not decontaminable, and do not provide hermetic sealing for high pressure applications. Zip-track systems are difficult to install and use in field conditions, require secondary closures at the end of the track, and take on creases in storage which make them susceptible to permeation. We hypothesize that we can design and fabricate improved compliant closure systems which incorporate areas of interlocking microfiber/microridge adhesive arrays inspired by the foot-hairs found on geckos with continuous elastomeric interfaces to provide excellent sealing properties, even for high pressure applications. In this project, steps will be taken to develop, prototype, and characterize this novel family of flexible fasteners, and demonstrate their effectiveness for CB protection applications.

The threat posed by Chemical Warfare Agents remains one of the key concerns in the defense against catastrophic attacks, underscoring the need to have equipment which prevents exposure to Chem/Bio (CB) agents. Conventional fastening options for such equipment generally consist of zippers, hook and loop closures, or zip-track systems, all of which have drawbacks that make them susceptible to permeation of CB agents, especially for systems such as shelters and human remains pouches. Using technology inspired by the adhesive foot-hairs found on geckos, nanoGriptech has developed microstructured closure systems which provide a robust hermetic seal, even while subjected to large pressures gradients. These closure systems incorporate areas of continuous elastomeric interfaces with interlocking microfiber/microridge adhesive arrays that mimic the micro/nano-fibrillar structures on the feet of geckos, providing a hermetic seal that is resistant to CB agents. During this SBIR Phase II project, these closure systems will be optimized for strength and durability, fully tested, and scaled up into full-scale Army shelter and human remains pouch prototype systems. Successful execution of the proposed research tasks will result in a technology which can be produced at volume and is ready for integration into commercial acquisition programs.