Environmentally Friendly Nanocoating for Rapid Detection of Nerve Agents on Textile Fabric

For decades, the visual detection of nerve agents with the naked eye within seconds has posed significant challenges in the development of nerve agent-indicating materials. This study introduces an environmentally friendly nanocoating that enables textiles to detect nerve agents. The nanocoating is created by combining a 3% solution of synthesized N,N-dimethylaniline-4-azopyridine nerve agent-indicating dye (NAD) with a 0.25% solution of pectin (P) by using a layer-by-layer assembly. After nine bilayers of this nanocoating were applied, the textile fabric achieved a 1.72% weight gain. When exposed to diethylchlorophosphate (DCP), a simulant for nerve agents, the fabric undergoes an immediate color change from violet to yellow, intensifying rapidly within 15 to 30 s. This conformal coating adheres well to cotton fibers and demonstrates an excellent response to DCP, potentially serving as an effective protective material for individuals, including soldiers, in environments at risk of nerve agent exposure.