TABLE OF CONTENTS Many materials are available that are impervious to harmful agents. However, to be useful for a practical protective clothing, the material must also be able to transmit water vapors at a high rate. This is necessary for the comfort of the wearer, particularly at high ambient temperatures and/or under physical exertion. In the past, the combination of a breathable, porous material with an adsorbent, such as activated carbon, has been the approach to overcome this problem.
Ionomers have high rates of water vapor permeation and, therefore, provide wearer comfort. Perfluorinated ionomers in addition exhibit excellent chemical stability, even against the most corrosive agents. Their use in protective clothing has been claimed in Ref. [71]. The degree of swelling of the ionomer is of course a factor in its ability to reject toxic agent. Rivin et al. have studied the permeation of dimethyl methylphosphonate (a nerve gas simulant), water and propanol through Nafion [72].
