Search Results (5)

The continuous advancement of modern weaponry has intensified the pursuit of next-generation ballistic protection systems that integrate lightweight architectures, superior flexibility, and high energy absorption efficiency. This review provides a technological overview of current trends in the design, processing, and performance optimization of metallic, ceramic, polymeric, and composite materials for ballistic applications. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of advanced surface coatings and nanostructured interfaces as enabling technologies for improved impact resistance and multifunctionality. Conventional materials such as high-strength steels, alumina, silicon carbide, boron carbide, Kevlar^®, and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) continue to dominate the field due to their outstanding mechanical properties; however, their intrinsic limitations have prompted a transition toward nanotechnology-assisted solutions. Functional coatings incorporating nanosilica, graphene and graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NWs) have demonstrated significant enhancement in interfacial adhesion, inter-yarn friction, and energy dissipation. Moreover, multifunctional coatings such as CNT- and laser-induced graphene (LIG)-based layers integrate sensing capability, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and thermal stability, supporting the development of smart and adaptive protection platforms. By combining experimental evidence with computational modeling and materials informatics, this review highlights the technological impact of coating-assisted strategies in the evolution of lightweight, high-performance, and multifunctional ballistic armor systems for defense and civil protection. Full article

Soft body armor (SBA) remains an essential component of first responder protection. However, most SBA design concepts do not adequately address the unique performance, morphological, and psychological needs of women as first responders. In this review, female-specific designs of ballistic-resistant panels, material systems, and SBA performance testing are critically examined. The paper also explores innovations in shaping and design techniques, including darting, dartless shape construction, modular assembly, and body scanning with CAD integration to create contoured and structurally stable panels with improved coverage, reduced bulk, and greater mobility. In addition, the review addresses broadly used and emerging dry textile fabrics and fiber-reinforced polymers, considering various innovations, such as 3D warp interlock weave, shear thickening fluid (STF) coating, nanomaterials, and smart composites that improve energy dissipation and impact tolerance without sacrificing flexibility. In addition, the paper also examines various emerging ballistic performance testing standards and their revisions to incorporate gender-specific standards and measures their ability to decrease trauma effects and maintain flexibility and practical protection. Finally, it identifies existing challenges and areas of future research, such as optimizing multi-layer systems, addressing fatigue behavior, and improving multi-angle and low-velocity impact performance while providing avenues for future sustainable, adaptive, and performance-optimized body armor. Full article

Ceramic/fiber composite armor is a hot research topic of bulletproof equipment. The lightweight design of ceramic materials and structures has attracted much attention. In this work, in the light of the remarkable performance of ceramic against elastic and oblique penetration, a novel honeycomb ceramic panel with a hexagonal prism and spherical body was designed. The splicing ceramic/fiber composite plate was bonded with a PE plate. The splicing ceramic/fiber composite was prepared, and the target test of the composite was conducted. The results show that the bulletproof performance of the hexagonal prism spherical crown ceramic/fiber composite plate is better than that of the conventional ceramic/fiber composite plate of the same thickness. The honeycomb spherical crown structure of the ceramic surface can convert the nominal forward penetration into the actual oblique penetration. This surface structure provides an effective lightweight design of ceramic/fiber composite armor. Full article

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are used in a variety of applications such as aircraft, automobiles, body armors, and the sports sector owing to their ultra-strong and lightweight characteristics. However, the incorporation of an untreated pristine carbon fiber surface leads to a weak interfacial interaction with the polymeric matrix, thus triggering catastrophic failure of the composite material. Graphene oxide, a 2D-macromolecule consisting of several polar functional groups such as hydroxyl, carboxyl, and carbonyl on the basal planes and edges, tends to increase the surface area and has thus been applied between the fiber and matrix, helping to improve CFRP properties. Herein, we condense different routes of functionalization of GO nanosheets and their incorporation onto a fiber surface or in a carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy matrix, helping to improve the interfacial adhesion between the fiber and matrix, and thus allowing effective stress transfer and energy absorption. The improvement of the interfacial adhesion between the fiber and carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy matrix is due to the peculiar structure of GO nanoparticles composed of polar groups, especially on the edges of the nanosheets, able to provide strong interaction with the hosting cured epoxy matrix, and the “core” part similar to the structure of CFs, and hence able to establish strong π-π interactions with the reinforcing CFs. The article also covers the effect of functionalized graphene oxide incorporation on the mechanical, thermal, electrical, and viscoelastic properties of composite materials reinforced with carbon fibers. Full article

Ultra-high molar mass polyethylene (UHMMPE) is commonly used for ballistic-resistant body armor applications due to the superior strength of the fibers fabricated from this material combined with its low density. However, polymeric materials are susceptible to thermally induced degradation during storage and use, which can reduce the high strength of these fibers, and, thus, negatively impact their ballistic resistance. The objective of this work is to advance the field of lightweight and soft UHMMPE inserts used in various types of ballistic resistant-body armor via elucidating the mechanisms of chemical degradation and evaluating this chemical degradation, as well as the corresponding physical changes, of the UHMMPE fibers upon thermal aging. This is the first comprehensive study on thermally aged UHMMPE fibers that measures their decrease in the average molar mass via high-temperature size exclusion chromatography (HT-SEC) analysis. The decrease in the molar mass was further supported by the presence of carbon-centered free radicals in the polyethylene that was detected using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. These carbon-centered radicals result from a cascade of thermo-oxidative reactions that ultimately induce C–C ruptures along the backbone of the polymer. Changes in the crystalline morphology of the UHMMPE fibers were also observed through wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXS), showing an increase in the amorphous regions, which promotes oxygen diffusion into the material, specifically through these areas. This increase in the amorphous fraction of the highly oriented polyethylene fibers has a synergistic effect with the thermo-oxidative degradation processes and contributes significantly to the decrease in their molar mass. Full article