The patent award follows equivalent patent grants in other global territories, further bolstering Alexium’s intellectual property portfolio.

“We view the patent award as another validation of our unique technology platform. We are pleased to see that we are continuing to expand our patent portfolio at a time when we are looking to expand commercial relationships around the globe.” remarked Stefan Susta, COO and Executive Director of Alexium.

The patent award follows the recently announced contract with the US Air Force and the signing of a contract with Duro Textiles for fire retardant nylon treatments.

Just over a week ago Alexium announced it had been awarded a $200,000 contract by the US Air Force Research Laboratory to demonstrate its Cleanshell CB treatments for chemical and biological protection applications. The contract follows two other purchase orders by the US Army in the last twelve months and is expected to further validate RST technology for defence applications.

According to Alexium, an estimated 200,000 chemical and biological protection suits are purchased annually by the US military for programs such as JPACE, JC3 and JSLIST and over 4.5 million JSLIST suits alone have been sold globally since 1997, representing product sales for JSLIST suits in excess of $800 million.

Additionally, two weeks ago the company announced it had successfully demonstrated its Reactive Surface Technology (RST) treatments for functionalizing temperature-sensitive fibres such as high-performance polyolefins to add new properties such as antimicrobial, adhesion promotion, and flame retardancy.

Industry has shown a great deal of interest in high performance polyolefin fibres due to their high chemical resistance and impact strength as well as their low moisture absorption and very good abrasion resistance properties.

High performance polyolefin fibres are said to be gaining market share in a number of industries, including high end industrial, medical, and consumer product applications such as sporting goods, ballistic protection, and climbing ropes.

Alexium says that until now, functionalizing the inert surface of polyolefin materials has been a key technical barrier for many potential applications. For example, poor adhesion between the fibre and resin in composite structures is a common failure mode and cause for premature mechanical failures.