TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CERAMICS AND GLASS - Preferred Materials: The microfibers of matrix may be glass and/or ceramic fibers to impart specific corrosion/chemical resistance, thermal stability behavior, mechanical properties, specific cost factors, and overall density attributes to the filtration system.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Materials: The reactive materials are PROX CO catalyst, preferably platinum-cobalt/gamma-aluminum oxide. The reactive materials may contain optimized multiple hydrogen sulfide (H2S) removal sorbents/reactants for both low and high temperature performance and regenerability, preferably zinc oxide/carbon and zinc oxide/silicon dioxide. The microfibers of matrix are metal fibers to impart high-temperature operational characteristics, certain malleability and joining/bonding capabilities, and/or electrical conductivity and infrared self-heating attributes to the filtration system.Preferred Components: The matrix is pleated or similarly structured to reduce the effective face velocity of incoming reactant streams, increase intralayer residence time, and reduce overall pressure drop. Thin sheets of the matrix with the supporting particulates, reactants, adsorbents, and/or fibers and the pre-selected reactive materials are chemically functionalized and stacked in a pre-defined sequence to achieve staged chemical reactions and processes. The thin sheets provide high contacting efficiency and small critical bed depth so that they may be made extremely thin and still achieve high levels of saturation, reaction, and/or contaminant removal. The bed depth comprises an upstream packed bed of larger-diameter reactive catalyst and sorbent particulates, and a downstream polishing layer of smaller-diameter microfibrous-entrapped reactive catalyst and sorbent particulates to advantageously utilize the volume loading capacity of the packed bed and the overall contacting/removal efficiency of the exit polishing layer. The thin sheets comprise a sorbent system of specified gas life capacity and volume. The pressure drop through the bed depth decreases with the square of the bed depth's cross-sectional area. The adsorption and reaction levels are such that they may provide greater than 5-log differential in concentration between inlet and outlet concentrations of the contaminants. The thin sheets are sealed into a chemically protective hood for human use to permit small volume/mass packaging via folding into an easily carried package. The hooded thin sheets are laminated with a thin sheet of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration media to provide both particulate and gas removal/protection for the wearer. The reactive materials are layered to achieve predetermined operation capabilities with regard to temperature, selectivity, and outlet gas performance/compositions. Loading of reactive material within the matrix and the corresponding intra-layer void volume, matrix thickness and its cross-sectional area are preselected to maximize the reaction rate per unit volume, the reaction rate per unit mass, and/or the reaction rate per unit pressure drop.Preferred Dimensions: The thin sheets have a thickness of less than 3 mm.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Materials: The reactive materials are PROX CO catalyst, preferably platinum-cobalt/gamma-aluminum oxide. The reactive materials may contain optimized multiple hydrogen sulfide (H2S) removal sorbents/reactants for both low and high temperature performance and regenerability, preferably zinc oxide/carbon and zinc oxide/silicon dioxide. The microfibers of matrix are metal fibers to impart high-temperature operational characteristics, certain malleability and joining/bonding capabilities, and/or electrical conductivity and infrared self-heating attributes to the filtration system.Preferred Components: The matrix is pleated or similarly structured to reduce the effective face velocity of incoming reactant streams, increase intralayer residence time, and reduce overall pressure drop. Thin sheets of the matrix with the supporting particulates, reactants, adsorbents, and/or fibers and the pre-selected reactive materials are chemically functionalized and stacked in a pre-defined sequence to achieve staged chemical reactions and processes. The thin sheets provide high contacting efficiency and small critical bed depth so that they may be made extremely thin and still achieve high levels of saturation, reaction, and/or contaminant removal. The bed depth comprises an upstream packed bed of larger-diameter reactive catalyst and sorbent particulates, and a downstream polishing layer of smaller-diameter microfibrous-entrapped reactive catalyst and sorbent particulates to advantageously utilize the volume loading capacity of the packed bed and the overall contacting/removal efficiency of the exit polishing layer. The thin sheets comprise a sorbent system of specified gas life capacity and volume. The pressure drop through the bed depth decreases with the square of the bed depth's cross-sectional area. The adsorption and reaction levels are such that they may provide greater than 5-log differential in concentration between inlet and outlet concentrations of the contaminants. The thin sheets are sealed into a chemically protective hood for human use to permit small volume/mass packaging via folding into an easily carried package. The hooded thin sheets are laminated with a thin sheet of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration media to provide both particulate and gas removal/protection for the wearer. The reactive materials are layered to achieve predetermined operation capabilities with regard to temperature, selectivity, and outlet gas performance/compositions. Loading of reactive material within the matrix and the corresponding intra-layer void volume, matrix thickness and its cross-sectional area are preselected to maximize the reaction rate per unit volume, the reaction rate per unit mass, and/or the reaction rate per unit pressure drop.Preferred Dimensions: The thin sheets have a thickness of less than 3 mm.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Materials: The microfibers of matrix may be polymer fibers to impart specific corrosion/chemical resistance, thermal stability behavior, mechanical properties, specific cost factors, and overall density attributes to the filtration system.