Jan 27 2009
Ronald DeMeo, MD, MBA, president and CEO with Radiation Shield Technologies (RST), today announced the company has been granted U.S. nanotechnology patent No. 7,476,889 titled "Radiation Detectable and Protective Articles" by the U.S. Patent + Trademark Office. It secures the nanotechnology in RST's proprietary Demron, the world's first and only protective material for all types of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents.
Demron, which also has many other U.S. and international patents, consists of an advanced radiopaque nanopolymeric compound fused between layers of fabric and manufactured into lightweight nuclear-radiation blocking garments including full-body suits, vests, blankets and medical X-ray vests and aprons.
Demron's nanotechnology surpasses current NBC suits, which provide limited radioactive protection. Its patent describes and protects the use of nanopolymeric compounds that enable the latest version of Demron, called "Demron-W," to provide enhanced chemical, biological, radiation and flame protection. Demron-W is the world's first and only NFPA 1994-2007 Certified Fabric for Protective Ensembles for First Responders to CBRN Terrorism Incidents. RST manufactures Demron and the nano materials at its research and development facility in Miami.
"As the manufacturer and marketer of advanced nuclear suits and personal-protection technologies that are in high demand worldwide, Radiation Shield Technologies developed an intellectual property strategy that gives us freedom to meet our customers' radiation protection needs while safeguarding our company's commercial advantages," said Dr. DeMeo, the surgeon who developed Demron. "We will continue to introduce new Demron products, apply for additional patents worldwide and help promote awareness, education and scientific research to advance the field."
Demron is a lead-free, toxin-free and PVC-free material that allows heat dissipation and resists chemical penetration and cracks. Made of liquid metal, Demron nuclear protection fabrics feel cool and, unlike traditional nuclear suits, they're lightweight, flexible and foldable. Demron has proved to block gamma rays, X-rays and other nuclear emissions by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, part of the National Nuclear Security Administration within the U.S. Department of Energy, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Demron is currently deployed worldwide by NATO, NASA, the National Guard, US Navy, UAE and the governments of South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia and Australia, among others. Scientists have selected it for thermo-mechanical suits for future space travel.