News

This is one in a series of articles about how DuPont is putting science to work in 2009.

One thing that you can count on from DuPont is products that protect – and in the first quarter of 2009 the company didn’t disappoint.  Included in this year’s lineup was a new product introduction under DuPont™ Nomex® fiber, the leading brand in firefighter gear.

Prior to its introduction in 1967, firefighters had limited protection. Nomex® was the first flame-resistant fiber used in firefighter gear.  In March 2009, DuPont introduced Nomex® On Demand™, the first smart-fiber technology that helps protect lives.  This new patented technology gives firefighters up to 20% more thermal protection when they encounter emergency conditions.

The term “smart-fiber technology” refers to the ability of the new material — initially for use in thermal liners in firefighter turnout gear — to detect emergency conditions and automatically expand to trap more air for greater thermal insulation.  In emergency conditions, air temperatures can exceed hundreds of degrees.  Nomex® On Demand™ is specifically engineered to react and expand when temperatures reach 250 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.  Yet in routine conditions, thermal liners made with Nomex® On Demand™ remain thin and flexible, providing excellent thermal protection and good mobility.  Once activated, Nomex® On Demand™ continues to provide maximum thermal protection, when and where it is needed.

Nomex® On Demand™ is commercially available in the U.S. and Canada and will be introduced in other parts of the world later this year.  While initially available in firefighter gear, DuPont is reviewing additional applications including:

• Auto racing, where 95% of today’s drivers wear suits made of DuPont™ Nomex®
• Wildfire control
• Oil and gas operations
• Military uses

"We continue to work with our customers to innovate and apply our science to push the edge on life protection products," said Roger Siemionko, vice president of technology, DuPont Safety & Protection. “Nomex® On Demand™ is a great example of that commitment, not only to market-driven science but to protecting the people who protect us with the best technology that will help them perform their jobs as safely as possible.” 

Look for more about Nomex® On Demand™ and the scientist behind this new product in an upcoming DuPont News story.