In those tests the foam neutralized half the remaining chemical agent molecules every two to 10 minutes, depending on the agent. For most chemical agents the contamination remaining after one hour of exposure to the foam is insignificant. The foam neutralizes viral particles in minutes, as well. Researcher Mark Tucker compares petri dishes in his Sandia lab. More tests planned for April will pit the foam against real anthrax and other bacterial spores.
Spores are the most difficult.
The foam neutralizes chemical agents in much the same way a detergent lifts an oily spot from a stained shirt. Its surfactants, like those in hair conditioner, and mild oxidizing substances, like those in toothpaste, begin to chemically digest the chemical agent, seeking out the phosphate or sulfide bonds holding the molecules together and chopping the molecules into nontoxic pieces. How the foam kills bacterial spores still is not well understood, says Tucker adds. The researchers suspect the surfactants poke holes in the spore's protein armor, allowing the oxidizing agents to attack the genetic material inside. Sandia has filed for a patent on the substance, tentatively called Decon Foam 100.