Science Daily June 29, 2020
Current protection against both thermal and ballistic threats is a combination of multiple high-performance materials that increases equipment weight and complexity. Using para-aramid polymers as the building block researchers at Harvard University engineered precursor solutions to be fluid-like during fiber spinning and solid-like during fiber formation. This allowed for the fabrication of porous, continuous para-aramid fiber sheets (pAFS). Although exhibiting moderately reduced single-fiber mechanics, these pAFS had fragment projectile resistance comparable with commercial para-aramids, while providing 20-fold heat-insulation capability. With these synergistic properties, the nanofiber sheets act as a multifunctional material that can provide improved simultaneous protection…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE