Recent Developments and Needs in Materials Used for Personal Protective Equipment and Their Testing

The field of personal protective equipment (PPE) has led to several high technology innovations. Indeed, improved protection against the various possible encountered risks is looked for, in particular at the workplace. This has generated the development of new materials and new manufacturing technologies, as well as the introduction of new applications for existing ones. However, the remaining challenges are numerous. This paper presents some of the new technologies introduced in the field of protective clothing against heat and flames, mechanical risks and chemical aggressors. It also describes new challenges that are currently worked on, in particular the effect a service aging and the need,for testing methods that reproduce real-use conditions. Finally, it discusses various existing and potential applications of nanomaterials and smart textiles for PPE.