Man applying coating to a vehicle

Revolutionary coatings protect against contamination

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are looking at ways to use coatings that can be peeled off after contamination on military vehicles.

Coatings are used in theatre as temporary camouflage as they are easy to apply, needing minimal training. Removal is also simple as flat areas can be peeled off, with the more difficult areas needing a little extra work and a high pressure spray.

They are now working with industry to develop a coating with increased and speedier absorbency which will mop up a high proportion of Chemical Warfare (CW) liquid. The concept involves using a two-step process where the vehicle is firstly sprayed down with decontamination liquid and then the temporary coating simply peeled away.

Further down the line, Dstl are looking at options such as reactive coatings, catalysts and enzymes which will be able to decontaminate themselves.

Dstl Research Scientist, Dr Steven Mitchell, is excited at the possibilities: "One of our military customers is on record as saying that what he wants is something that changes colour to say its contaminated, decontaminates itself, and then changes colour back when its clean. That is a reasonable, long-term, ultimate objective."