over time military clothing has evolved adapting to the needs of soldiers and the technology available a soldier's attire must be more than articles of clothing it is crucial that their uniform shields them from unpredictable weather remains durable in varying terrains and most importantly protects them against numerous forms of lethal weaponry funded by the north atlantic treaty organization dr jaime grunlan the leland t jordan 29 chair professor in the j mike walker '66 department of mechanical engineering at texas a&m university is applying water-based nanocoatings to military clothing adding protective properties including fire and uv-light protection as well as chemical recognition capabilities military clothing is made from a variety of textiles such as cotton wool and synthetic blends when adding a protective property the initial benefits of the material are generally lost "the reason we like cotton is its soft texture just like we use nylon because it's strong " said grunlan "if the cotton is given flame-resistance properties the fiber itself is modified and the cotton will stiffen similarly nylon exposed to a flame resistance treatment will weaken changing its structure essentially takes away its valuable intrinsic properties" grunlan has developed a water-based nontoxic solution that can add properties without changing the inherent structure of the clothing a piece of clothing is dipped into a curated solution with a positive charge extracted then placed into a solution with a negative charge the attraction of the opposing charges bonds the chemicals creating a microscopic nanocoating that adheres to the clothings surface in an imperceptible layer this technique commonly referred to as pad-dry processing can be duplicated with various solutions creating multiple layers with each new deposition each solution is tailored specifically to add certain qualities to the fabric for uv protection we would add zinc oxide or titanium dioxide said grunlan its the same ingredients youd find in sunscreen by mixing the right formula we can optimize the clothings serviceability in this case he will be creating materials that are both flame retardant and provide protection against uv (ultraviolet) light an additional unique aspect of the design is chemical recognition if the nanocoating is exposed to a hazardous substance the material will change colors "chemical warfare is increasingly becoming a threat " said grunlan "many chemicals or gases cannot be seen in the air for that reason we're focused on detection based upon a color change which will notify the user of the chemical agent allowing them time to react quickly" the water-based composition of the solution contributes significantly to its multifunctionality by not altering the fibers the textile remains conformal and seemingly unaffected by the nanocoatings this also makes the solution environmentally benign and cost-effective historically chemical treatments to clothing have been frowned upon as they have been linked to sickness and ailments however the water-based nature of this solution negates this problem making it safe for widespread usage grunlan hopes to extend this technology outside of military clothing to other areas that could benefit from protective clothing such as children's sleepwear or oil field uniforms he and his collaborators from north macedonia and serbia dr igor jordanov from ss cyril and methodius university and dr maja radetic from the university of belgrade hope to eventually create technology that can reject chemicals or kill chemicals on contact the use and success of the layer-by-layer technique opens new avenues and applications for this emerging technology