Breathability and protection studies of nanofiber composite fabrics

The comfort attributes like breathability of protective fabrics are very important as they are directly related to the performance of the soldiers and emergency responders. There have been many studies reported on the application of nanofiber composites in protective clothing, filters, wipes etc. But very less work has been reported in the public domain about the breathability of the protective clothing made using nanofiber composite. The study reported in this paper focuses on the moisture vapor transport rate of the nanofiber composite that were made by attaching a thin layer of nanofibers on to the surface of regular base fabric. The Moisture Vapor Transport Rate (MVTR) of the fabric reported was determined using the British Standard BS: 7209:1990. The initial results show that there is no significant change in the MVTR of the fabrics with the addition of nanofiber layer on top of the different base fabrics. But thorough study has to be done to endorse these initial findings.