Nanomaterials based Decontamination Formulation for use in Personal Decontamination Kit Against Chemical Warfare Agents

Abstract

Present paper relates to nanomaterials based decontamination formulation made up of TiO2, MgO, and ZnO nanoparticles for the use against chemical warfare agents. This decontamination formulation was prepared by mixing 90 per cent of TiO2 nanoparticles of 5-15 nm size range, 8 per cent of MgO nanoparticles of 5-15 nm size range, and 2 per cent of ZnO nanoparticles of 20-30 nm size range. Prepared formulation exhibited 98-99 per cent of physical removal efficiency against contaminated glass, rubber, painted metal, metal surfaces. It efficiently removed chemical warfare agents from contaminated skin thus ameliorating chances of fatality which is expected due to skin penetrated chemical warfare agents. It also chemically degraded 97 per cent of sulphur mustard in 24 h, 99.9 per cent of sarin in 2 h, respectively unlike Fuller’s earth which chemically degraded only 63 per cent of sulphur mustard and 59 per cent of sarin in 24 h .