Fabric Surface Treatments for Contaminant Resistance
topic
Durable water repellent finishes on outer shell fabrics provide surface energy modification that reduces contaminant penetration into fabric by maintaining liquid state contaminants on the fabric surface for more effective removal by gross decontamination, while novel hydrophobic-oleophobic nanocoatings and permanently flame-resistant surface treatments are evaluated for their ability to reduce PAH absorption into fabric structures without compromising thermal protection performance or laundering durability.
Role
Provides the material-level contamination prevention strategy that reduces the depth and quantity of contaminant absorption into clothing during fire operations, with DWR and oleophobic finishes offering a passive contamination resistance mechanism that complements active decontamination procedures, though PFAS-containing DWR finishes used historically are being replaced by PFAS-free alternatives under regulatory pressure from the persistent environmental contamination concerns these substances create.
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