FY 2018 STATEMENT OF NEED

Weapons Systems and Platforms (WP) Program Area

The objective of this limited-scope Statement of Need (SON) was to develop a PFAS-free surfactant formulation for use in Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) fire-suppression operations. Proposed research was intended to identify and test PFAS-free surfactants for use in AFFF that could potentially meet the performance requirements defined in MIL-F-24385F. Proposers were asked to consider including testing to validate persistence and aquatic toxicity of alternative materials.

The projects listed below were selected to address the objectives of this SON. Additional information on individual projects can be found by clicking the project title.

• Surfactants with Organosilicate Nanostructures for Use as Fire-Fighting Foams (F3)
  • Lead Investigator: Matthew Davis, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division
• Designing Next Generation Polymer-Based Surfactants for Fire Suppression
  • Lead Investigator: Timothy Long, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Stability of PFAS-Free Foams with Siloxane Surfactants for Improved Pool Fire Suppression
  • Lead Investigator: Ramagopal Ananth, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
• Innovative Nano-Encapsulated Ionic Liquid Based Surfactants for PFAS-Free Fire Extinguishing Foams
  • Lead Investigator: Jaspreet Dhau, Molekule, Inc.
• PFAS-Free Ionic Liquids for Aqueous Film Forming Foam
  • Lead Investigator: Tiumlalai Sudarshan, Materials Modification, Inc.
• PFAS-Free Aqueous Film Forming Foams Based on Functional Siloxanes
  • Lead Investigator: Kris Rangan, Materials Modification, Inc.

New PFAS-free surfactants will enable sustained manufacture and use of AFFF by meeting environmental requirements while maintaining equivalent performance to ensure safety of Department of Defense (DoD) personnel at airfields and onboard ships.