Hometown Security: Carbon Material for Blast Mitigation and Explosive Device Containment

Versatile, multifunctional materials and methods are needed for new building construction and for retrofitting existing structures to address critical infrastructure protection issues relating to blast mitigation. The development of effective, low cost, modular wall panels to provide blast protection, electromagnetic shielding, radiological protection and chemical agent removal is necessary to maintain operability of essential facilities when subjected to terrorist attack or natural disasters. New materials and means of delivery are also required to mitigate or nullify the effects of explosive devices that are deliberately placed in urban or industrial locations, aimed at causing the maximum loss of life or critical injury to civilian, security or law enforcement personnel and severely disrupting the processes of normal life. Such improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are often aimed at soft targets to cause the maximum devastation to a civilian population. An easily transported system that can be deployed at the source of the incident is required to counter or render safe the device and thereby thwart the intentions of extremists. Such a system could also offer a similar mollifying effect on potentially explosive accidental incidents that occur in otherwise innocuous situations.