Kevlar is the trade name for a para-aramid synthetic fiber; and it is synonymous with a super-strong material that cannot be easily cut. Kevlar has many applications, ranging from bicycle tires and racing sails to body armor.
Scientists based at UT Dallas have created a material that they are claiming is stronger than Kevlar. This is based on the ability of the material to absorb energy. Kevlar can absorb up to 80 joules per gram; whereas the new material can absorb up to 98 joules per gram. A joule is a unit of energy, work, or amount of heat. It is equivalent to, in energy terms, of the work required to produce one watt of power for one second.
To achieve this ultra-strong material, the scientists successfully twisted nanofiber into yarns and coils. This involved manipulating electric charges. The electricity generated by stretching the twisted nanofiber formed very strong atomic attractions. The nanofibers were made from the plastics: polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyvinvylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE).
The research was inspired by the material strength found within the collagen fibers found inside bone.
Having achieved this success on a small scale, the researchers now aim to see how feasible the material is to produce on an industrial scale. The long-term aim is to produce a generation of materials to be used for defense purposes, such as creating lighter but stronger military armor.
The research has been published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. The paper is titled “High-Performance Coils and Yarns of Polymeric Piezoelectric Nanofibers.”
