No abstract

Zirconium hydroxide, Zr(OH)4 is known to be highly effective for the degradation of chemical nerve agents. Due to the strong interaction force between Zr(OH)4 and the adsorbed water, however, Zr(OH)4 rapidly loses its activity for nerve agents under high-humidity environments, limiting real-world applications. Here, we report a nanocomposite material of Zr(OH)4 and graphene oxide (GO) which showed enhanced stability in humid environments. Zr(OH)4/GO nanocomposite was prepared via a dropwise method, resulting in a well-dispersed and embedded GO in Zr(OH)4 nanocomposite. The nitrogen (N2) isotherm analysis showed that the pore structure of Zr(OH)4/GO nanocomposite is heterogeneous, and its meso-porosity increased from 0.050 to 0.251 cm3/g, compared with pristine Zr(OH)4 prepared. Notably, the composite material showed a better performance for nerve agent soman (GD) degradation hydrolysis under high-humidity air conditions (80% relative humidity) and even in aqueous solution. The soman (GD) degradation by the nanocomposite follows the catalytic reaction with a first-order half-life of 60 min. Water adsorption isotherm analysis and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectra provide direct evidence that the interaction between Zr(OH)4 and the adsorbed water is reduced in Zr(OH)4/GO nanocomposite, indicating that the active sites of Zr(OH)4 for the soman (GD) degradation, such as surface hydroxyl groups are almost available even in high-humidity environments.

No abstract

Conventional or non-conventional chemical threat is gaining huge attention due to its unpredictable and mass destructive effects. Typical military protective suits have drawbacks such as high weight, bulky structure, and unpredictable lifetime. A durable, light, and scalable graphene e-fabric was fabricated from CVD-grown graphene by a simple co-lamination method. The sheet resistance was below 1 kΩ/sq over the wide surface area even after 1000 bending cycles. A graphene triboelectric nanogenerator showed the peak VOC of 68 V and the peak ICC of 14.4 μA and 1 μF capacitor was charged successfully in less than 1 s. A wearable chemical sensor was also fabricated and showed a sensitivity up to 53% for nerve chemical warfare agents (GD). DFT calculations were conducted to unveil the fundamental mechanisms underlying the graphene e-fabric sensor. Additionally, protection against chemical warfare agents was tested, and a design concept of graphene-based intelligent protective clothing has been proposed.