R&D 100 Winner Spotlight: DuPont Tychem 6000 SFR tackles the chemical vs. flame protection trade-off

DuPont’s Tychem 6000 SFR garment (pictured) earned an R&D 100 Award for solving a longstanding trade-off in protective clothing: chemical resistance versus flame protection. Previously, workers in oil and gas, petrochemical and chemical manufacturing had to choose one or the other, or layer garments and deal with significant heat stress.

The Tychem 6000 SFR provides at least 30 minutes of permeation protection against more than 250 chemicals, including chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals, while also offering secondary flame resistance in a lightweight design. In this interview at the R&D 100 Gala, Khyati Vyas, a research investigator at DuPont Personal Protection, discusses the five-year development process, the “wow moment” of the first thermo-man burn test at 1,800°F, and why this dual-hazard protection matters for everyone from industrial workers to law enforcement officers raiding illegal drug labs.