Mustard Gas Surrogate Interactions with Modified Porous Carbon Fabrics: Effect of Oxidative Treatment

Abstract

Removal of chemical warfare agent (CWA) surrogates by highly porous carbon textiles was investigated. The carbon cloth was modified by oxidation in a mixture of concentrated sulfuric and nitric acid. This process did not affect textile structural integrity. The surface properties of the modified textiles were investigated, and their capabilities to remove 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) and diethylsulfide (EES), two mustard gas surrogates, were evaluated. The oxidized carbon textiles have a highly active surface that has the ability to form radical species. This enhances the degradation of the surrogates, and so the detoxification efficiency. The reaction products detected suggest differences in degradation mechanisms which depend on the type of fabric surface features. Thus, the oxidized surfaces eliminate CEES mainly through dehydrohalogenation, while the nonoxidized surfaces act via hydrolysis. Only the oxidized carbon has a surface active enough to react with the less reactive surrogate EES, by cleavage of the C-S bond. The surface functional groups promote not only the radical formation but also contribute to a strong adsorption of the CWA surrogates, which enhance the decomposition of these toxic species.

Polymer/Metal Organic Framework (MOF) Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications

“…Great effort has been given to achieve higher porosity, predominately by increasing the size of the linkers, leading to significantly higher structural feature values when compared to commonly used activated carbons and zeolites [42][43][44][45][46]. A characteristic example is Cu 3 (BHEHPI) or NU-110 (NU stands for Northwestern University in Chicago, USA), which has the highest reported surface area and total pore volume up to now [34,44].…”

“…The reason behind this instability is the ability of water to interact with the metal ions/clusters competitively to the linkers, leading to the collapse of the framework. There are also various other factors that play a crucial role in the stability of the MOFs, with the most important being crystallinity, hydrophobicity, and the extent of the defectous sites [43]. Additionally, the temperature and pH should also be considered.…”

Utilization of Various Analogy of Synthetic Nanoporous Zeolites and Composite of Zeolites for Decontamination/Detoxification of CWA Simulants—An Updated Review

“…M. Florent et al [96] (2017) reported an investigation on removal of chemical warfare agent (CWA) surrogates by highly porous carbon textiles. The surface morphology of modified carbon cloths was studied and found that the modified materials has capabilities to remove 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) and diethyl sulfide (EES), two sulfur mustard gas simulants.…”

Decomposition of Chemical Warfare Agent Simulants Utilizing Pyrolyzed Cotton Balls as Wicks

“… 19 , 22 , 23 Highly oxidized porous carbon surfaces have shown to decompose simulants for HD up to 80% decomposition after 24 h of contact with the oxidized carbon surfaces. 24 While these methods address the need for providing improved protection for individuals who encounter CWAs, they have limited application for large-scale degradation of agents, which are typically addressed through chemical treatment. 25 Of these methods, hydrolysis and oxidation are among the most common methods currently used to decompose chemical agents.…”