Scientists have discovered new compounds that can degrade and decontaminate nerve agents such as the deadly sarin gas, and have properties that may make them ideal for protective suits, masks or other clothing.
The use of the compounds called polyoxoniobates for this purpose had never before been demonstrated, scientists said, and the discovery could have important implications for both military and civilian protection.
Some other compounds exist that can decontaminate nerve gases, researchers at Oregon State University said, but they are organic, unstable, degraded by sunlight and have other characteristics that make them undesirable for protective clothing - or they are inorganic, but cannot be used on fabrics or surfaces.
By contrast, the polyoxoniobates are inorganic, do not degrade in normal environmental conditions, dissolve easily and it should be able to incorporate them onto surfaces, fabrics and other material.
"This is a fundamental new understanding of what these compounds can do," said May Nyman, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry in the OSU College of Science.
"As stable, inorganic compounds they have an important potential to decontaminate and protect against these deadly nerve gases," said Nyman.
As a chemical group, polyoxoniobates have been known of since the mid-1900s, Nyman said, but a detailed investigation of their complex chemistry has revealed this new potential.
Besides protection against nerve gas, she said, their chemistry might allow them to function as a catalyst that could absorb carbon dioxide and find use in carbon sequestration at fossil-fuel power plants - but little has been done yet to explore that potential.
A new method to protect against nerve agents could be significant. These organofluorophosphate compounds can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin, and in military use are considered weapons of mass destruction. They can be lethal even at very small levels of exposure.
"In continued work we hope to incorporate the protective compounds onto surfaces or fabrics and explore their function," Nyman said.
"They could form the basis for an improved type of gas mask or other protection. We would also need to test the material's ability to withstand very arid environments, extreme heat or other conditions," said Nyman.
A goal will be materials that are durable, high performing and retain a high level of protection against nerve agents such as sarin and soman gas even in harsh environmental conditions, researchers said.
The research demonstrated the ability of polyoxoniobates to neutralise both actual and simulated nerve agents.
The findings were published in the European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry.
