Tanks' Special Paint Protects Against Nerve Gas

A special paint coating can absorb nerve gas to protect crews of military tanks. CREDIT: UK Ministry of Defence View full size image

Heavily armored tanks can't protect the soldiers inside from chemical weapon attacks without some outside help. The British military has teamed up with a paint manufacturer to make a special coating for its Warrior tanks capable of absorbing nerve gas.

The protective coating could eventually change color to alert soldiers to chemical attack or even neutralize the deadly chemicals rather than just absorb them, according to The Engineer. But the absorbent coat alone can replace the need for soldiers to carry around hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate their tanks (specifically, armored infantry carriers).

The super-absorbent coating consists of silica gel that sits on top of a sticky undercoat. That allows soldiers to peel away the coating easily when necessary.

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Source: The Engineer via Inhabitat

This story was provided by InnovationNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @News_Innovation, or on Facebook.