Designing Better Head Protection: The Revolutionary Potential of Nanofoam
The Need for Improved Head Protection
The discovery that soccer players were unknowingly acquiring permanent brain damage as they racked up blows to the head throughout their professional careers created a race to design better head protection. One of these inventions is nanofoam, the material inside football helmets.
A Big Upgrade: Nanofoam Integrating Non-wetting Ionized Liquid
Thanks to University of Virginia associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Baoxing Xu and his research team, nanofoam just got a big upgrade, and protective sports gear might as well. This newly invented design integrates nanofoam with “non-wetting ionized liquid,” a form of water that Xu and his research team now know combines perfectly with nanofoam to create a liquid mattress. This versatile and responsive material will provide better protection for athletes and promises to be used to protect car occupants and help hospital patients using portable medical devices.
Published Research in Advanced Materials
The team’s research was recently published in Advanced Materials.
The Challenges of Protective Foam
For maximum safety, the protective foam sandwiched between a helmet’s inner and outer layers must not just be able to take a beating, but multiple beatings, game after game. The material should be cushioned enough to create a soft place for your head to land, yet strong enough to recover and be ready for the next hit. And the material must be resistant but not hard, because “hard” also damages the head. Having a material to do all these things is quite a difficult task.
Advancements in Research
The team advanced their work previously published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, who began exploring the use of liquids in nanofoam, to create a material that meets the complex safety demands of high-contact sports.
Breakthrough with Ionized Water
“We found that creating a liquid nanofoam cushion with ionized water instead of normal water made a significant difference in the performance of the material,” Xu said. “Using ionized water in the design is a breakthrough because we discovered an unusual liquid ion coordination network that made it possible to create a more sophisticated material.”
Enhanced Protection with Liquid Nanofoam
The liquid nanofoam cushion allows the interior of the helmet to compress and disperse the force of impact, minimizing the force transmitted to the head and reducing the risk of injury. It also recovers its original shape after impact, allowing for multiple hits and ensuring the helmet’s continued effectiveness in protecting the athlete’s head during play.
Comfort and Flexibility
“An additional advantage,” Xu continued, “is that the improved material is more flexible and much more comfortable to wear. The material responds dynamically to external shocks due to the way the ion clusters and lattices are made in the material”.
Revolutionizing Helmet Design
“Liquid foam can be designed as lighter, smaller and safer protective devices,” said Associate Professor Weiyi Lu, a civil engineering fellow at Michigan State University. “In addition, the reduced weight and size of the liquid nanofoam liners will revolutionize the hard shell design of future helmets. You could be watching a football game one day and wonder how smaller helmets protect players’ heads. It could be because of our new material.”
The Limitations of Traditional Nanofoam
In traditional nanofoam, the protection mechanism is based on material properties that react when crushed or mechanically deformed, such as “collapse” and “densification”. Collapse is what it sounds like, and densification is the severe deformation of the foam in a strong impact. After collapse and densification, traditional nanofoam doesn’t recover very well due to permanent deformation of the materials, making protection a one-time deal. Compared to liquid nanofoam, these properties are very slow (a few milliseconds) and cannot accommodate the “high force reduction requirement”, which means that it cannot effectively absorb and dissipate high force shocks on the short period of time associated with collisions and impacts.
The Advantage of Liquid Nanofoam
By manipulating the mechanical properties of materials, integrating nanoporous materials with “non-wetting liquid” or ionized water, the team developed a way to make a material that could respond to impacts in a few microseconds because this combination enables ultra-fast liquid transport in a nano-confined environment. In addition, when unloading, that is, after impacts, due to its non-wetting nature, the liquid nanofoam cushion can return to its original shape because the liquid is expelled through the pores, thus supporting repeated impacts. This dynamic forming and reforming capability also solves the problem of the material becoming stiff due to microimpacts.
Versatile Applications Beyond Sports
The same liquid properties that make this new nanofoam safer for sports equipment also offer potential use in other places where collisions occur, such as automobiles, whose safety and material protection systems are being reconsidered to embrace the emerging era of electric propulsion and automated vehicles. It can be used to create protective cushions that absorb shock during accidents or help reduce vibration and noise.
Enhancing Medical Devices with Liquid Nanofoam
Another purpose that might not be so obvious is the role that liquid nanofoam can play in the hospital environment. The foam can be used in wearable medical devices, such as a smartwatch, which monitors heart rate and other vital signs. By incorporating liquid nanofoam technology, the watch can have a soft and flexible foam-like material on the underside and help improve the accuracy of the sensors by ensuring proper contact with the skin. It can conform to the shape of your wrist, making it comfortable to wear all day. Additionally, foam can provide additional protection by acting as a shock absorber. If you accidentally bump your wrist against a hard surface, the foam can help cushion the impact and prevent any damage to the sensors or your skin.
Additional Piece: The Revolutionary Potential of Nanofoam
As technology continues to advance, innovative solutions are being developed to address longstanding problems. One such problem is the need for better head protection in high-contact sports like football, where athletes are susceptible to brain damage from repeated blows to the head. The discovery of this issue led to a race among researchers to design improved headgear, and one invention that stands out is nanofoam.
Nanofoam, the material inside football helmets, has taken a giant leap forward thanks to the work of University of Virginia associate professor Baoxing Xu and his research team. They have integrated nanofoam with “non-wetting ionized liquid,” a specialized form of water, to create a groundbreaking material that combines comfort, flexibility, and enhanced protection. This liquid nanofoam has the potential to revolutionize not only sports gear but also other areas where impact protection is vital, such as automotive safety and medical devices.
One key challenge in developing protective foam is creating a material that can withstand multiple impacts without losing its effectiveness. The nanofoam sandwiched between a helmet’s inner and outer layers needs to be both cushioned enough to provide a soft landing for the head and strong enough to recover quickly for the next hit. Additionally, the material must be resistant to impact damage but not too hard, as hardness can also harm the head. This combination of properties is no easy feat to achieve.
The research team’s work builds upon their previous exploration of using liquids in nanofoam, as published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. By incorporating ionized water into the design, they have discovered a breakthrough in material performance. The unique liquid ion coordination network created with ionized water allows for a more sophisticated material that effectively cushions and disperses impact forces, reducing the risk of injury. The material also recovers its original shape after impact, enabling it to withstand multiple hits and maintain its protective capability.
One advantage of the improved nanofoam material is its enhanced flexibility and comfort. The dynamic response to external shocks, facilitated by the structure of the ion clusters and lattices, makes it more comfortable to wear. Associate Professor Weiyi Lu of Michigan State University foresees smaller and lighter protective devices, thanks to the reduced weight and size of the liquid nanofoam liners. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize the design of future helmets and ensure increased head protection for athletes.
Compared to traditional nanofoam, which relies on material properties that react when mechanically deformed, liquid nanofoam offers significant advantages. Traditional nanofoam experiences collapse and densification when subjected to strong impacts, leading to permanent deformation and a reduced ability to recover. The slow reaction time of traditional nanofoam materials also limits their effectiveness in absorbing and dissipating high force shocks associated with collisions and impacts. In contrast, the integration of nanoporous materials with ionized water allows for ultra-fast liquid transport within the nano-confined environment of liquid nanofoam. This rapid response time enables the material to effectively absorb and disperse impact forces within microseconds, providing superior protection.
Moreover, traditional nanofoam becomes completely rigid when subjected to multiple small impacts that do not deform the material. This rigidity can cause soft tissue injuries and lead to conditions like traumatic brain injuries. Liquid nanofoam overcomes this limitation by maintaining its flexibility and dynamic response even after microimpacts. The cushioning effect of the liquid within the nanofoam structure absorbs and dissipates shock, mitigating the risk of injury.
The immense potential of liquid nanofoam extends beyond sports equipment. As automobiles transition to electric propulsion and automated driving, the need for improved safety and material protection systems arises. Liquid nanofoam can be employed to create protective cushions that absorb shock during accidents, reducing the potential for passenger injuries. Furthermore, the material’s ability to reduce vibrations and noise is invaluable in ensuring a comfortable and quiet ride. The integration of liquid nanofoam technology in automotive safety systems has the potential to revolutionize vehicle design and enhance passenger safety.
Additionally, liquid nanofoam holds promise in the field of healthcare. Wearable medical devices, such as smartwatches that monitor vital signs like heart rate, can benefit from the integration of liquid nanofoam. By incorporating a soft and flexible foam-like material on the underside of the device, user comfort is significantly improved. The foam molds to the shape of the wrist, ensuring proper contact between the sensors and the skin, thereby enhancing the accuracy of data collection. Moreover, the foam acts as a shock absorber, cushioning the impact when the wrist accidentally collides with a hard surface and protecting both the device and the wearer’s skin.
In conclusion, the revolutionary potential of nanofoam, particularly in its liquid form, has the potential to transform head protection in high-contact sports like football. The integration of liquid nanofoam with ionized water has yielded a material that combines comfort, flexibility, and superior impact protection. Beyond sports, this groundbreaking material holds promise in automotive safety and healthcare, revolutionizing protective systems and improving user experience. As technology continues to advance, innovations like liquid nanofoam pave the way for safer and more comfortable lives.
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The discovery that soccer players were unknowingly acquiring permanent brain damage as they racked up blows to the head throughout their professional careers created a race to design better head protection. One of these inventions is nanofoam, the material inside football helmets.
Thanks to University of Virginia associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Baoxing Xu and his research team, nanofoam just got a big upgrade, and protective sports gear might as well. This newly invented design integrates nanofoam with “non-wetting ionized liquid,” a form of water that Xu and his research team now know combines perfectly with nanofoam to create a liquid mattress. This versatile and responsive material will provide better protection for athletes and promises to be used to protect car occupants and help hospital patients using portable medical devices.
The team’s research was recently published in Advanced materials.
For maximum safety, the protective foam sandwiched between a helmet’s inner and outer layers must not just be able to take a beating, but multiple beatings, game after game. The material should be cushioned enough to create a soft place for your head to land, yet strong enough to recover and be ready for the next hit. And the material must be resistant but not hard, because “hard” also damages the head. Having a material to do all these things is quite a difficult task.
The team advanced their work previously published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, who began exploring the use of liquids in nanofoam, to create a material that meets the complex safety demands of high-contact sports.
“We found that creating a liquid nanofoam cushion with ionized water instead of normal water made a significant difference in the performance of the material,” Xu said. “Using ionized water in the design is a breakthrough because we discovered an unusual liquid ion coordination network that made it possible to create a more sophisticated material.”
The liquid nanofoam cushion allows the interior of the helmet to compress and disperse the force of impact, minimizing the force transmitted to the head and reducing the risk of injury. It also recovers its original shape after impact, allowing for multiple hits and ensuring the helmet’s continued effectiveness in protecting the athlete’s head during play.
“An additional advantage,” Xu continued, “is that the improved material is more flexible and much more comfortable to wear. The material responds dynamically to external shocks due to the way the ion clusters and lattices are made in the material”.
“Liquid mattress can be designed as lighter, smaller and safer protective devices,” said Associate Professor Weiyi Lu, a civil engineering fellow at Michigan State University. “In addition, the reduced weight and size of the liquid nanofoam liners will revolutionize the hard shell design of future helmets. You could be watching a football game one day and wonder how smaller helmets protect players’ heads. It could be because of our new material.”
In traditional nanofoam, the protection mechanism is based on material properties that react when crushed or mechanically deformed, such as “collapse” and “densification”. Collapse is what it sounds like, and densification is the severe deformation of the foam in a strong impact. After collapse and densification, traditional nanofoam doesn’t recover very well due to permanent deformation of the materials, making protection a one-time deal. Compared to liquid nanofoam, these properties are very slow (a few milliseconds) and cannot accommodate the “high force reduction requirement”, which means that it cannot effectively absorb and dissipate high force shocks on the short period of time associated with collisions and impacts.
Another disadvantage of traditional nanofoam is that when subjected to multiple small impacts that do not deform the material, the foam becomes completely “hard” and behaves like a rigid body that cannot provide protection. The stiffness could lead to soft tissue injury and damage, such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
By manipulating the mechanical properties of materials, integrating nanoporous materials with “non-wetting liquid” or ionized water, the team developed a way to make a material that could respond to impacts in a few microseconds because this combination enables ultra-fast liquid transport in a nano-confined environment. In addition, when unloading, that is, after impacts, due to its non-wetting nature, the liquid nanofoam cushion can return to its original shape because the liquid is expelled through the pores, thus supporting repeated impacts. This dynamic forming and reforming capability also solves the problem of the material becoming stiff due to microimpacts.
The same liquid properties that make this new nanofoam safer for sports equipment also offer potential use in other places where collisions occur, such as automobiles, whose safety and material protection systems are being reconsidered to embrace the emerging era of electric propulsion and automated vehicles. It can be used to create protective cushions that absorb shock during accidents or help reduce vibration and noise.
Another purpose that might not be so obvious is the role that liquid nanofoam can play in the hospital environment. The foam can be used in wearable medical devices, such as a smart watch, which monitors heart rate and other vital signs. By incorporating liquid nanofoam technology, the watch can have a soft and flexible foam-like material on the underside and help improve the accuracy of the sensors by ensuring proper contact with the skin. It can conform to the shape of your wrist, making it comfortable to wear all day. Additionally, foam can provide additional protection by acting as a shock absorber. If you accidentally bump your wrist against a hard surface, the foam can help cushion the impact and prevent any damage to the sensors or your skin.
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