TASS, July 24. Specialists of two universities and a startup company in St. Petersburg developed samples of clothing for firefighters and rescuers working in the Arctic. According to the press service of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the specialists managed to find a solution of how to protect people from fire and simultaneously from hypothermia by using composite materials that contain, among other components, graphene nanotubes. The clothing does not ignite even at temperatures above 450 degrees.

Every year, about 100 fire and rescue operations are carried out in the Arctic zone, the press service said, adding that extinguishing fires in severe frosts requires about one and a half times more time than normally. Firefighters and rescuers are at risk of hypothermia and frostbite, and emergency sites are often located at a great distance from medical institutions. The team of developers featured specialists from the Arktiktech startup of the North-West Nanocenter, the St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, and the Fire Service University. Both universities have attracted students.

"Scientists of the chemical technologies department at our university have many years of experience in finishing and coloring fire-resistant fabrics. In order to increase the fire-resistant properties of firefighters' outfit, the fabric was treated by a specially developed combination of modified composites based on carbon nanostructures. In order to reduce the risk of hypothermia when working at low temperatures, heating modules of electrically conductive fabric, using graphene nanotubes, were integrated into the outfit's inner layer," the department's head, Elena Sashina, said.

When developing materials for the thermal protection of firefighters' outfit, the team of engineers and scientists faced a few important tasks, including a high level of protection from heat flows, typical in the combustion of hydrocarbons and petroleum products, the fabric's ability to maintain thermoregulation in fire and in low temperatures, as well as a combination of functional characteristics so that firefighters could do their job fast and safe.

How to use developed materials

The developed materials were tested at the Safe Arctic - 2023 exercises. "During tests in a fire simulator where the temperature was more than 450 degrees Celsius, the sample's outer protective layer did not ignite and retained its integrity during the entire testing period. We could notice only traces of thermal effects on its surface: a certain local darkening. The obtained results have shown the use of developed materials and thermal protection systems based on carbon nanostructures is quite promising," said Olga Zybina of the Fire Service University.

The developers hope mass production will begin soon. Besides, they say, the developed materials could be used not only for special-purpose outfits. Non-flammable heating fabrics can be used in the space and aircraft construction and even for public transport seats' covers.