Professors Jennifer Hiscock and Ben Goult have combined traditional materials science with an innovative synthetic biology approach to produce a novel class of shock absorbing materials (TSAMs). These materials are fully biodegradable, have a low CO2 footprint, are transparent and exhibit natural adhesive properties.
To establish the real-world potential of this innovation, they have performed a series of experiments in which this material was shown to preserve and absorb the impact of projectiles, including metal shrapnel, shot at supersonic speeds of 1.5 km/s, outperforming industrial standard materials – such as aerogel. Considering that a bullet leaves a gun between nought 0.4 km/s and 0.9 km/s, and space impacts start at 1.0 km/s, it is clear that this innovation could be of use within the defence and aerospace sectors.
To commercialise the production of these materials, the team need to work out how to scale up production. The funding they secured through the Impact Acceleration Account scheme enabled them to start answering these questions and begin building the framework that will allow them to bring this material to market. They have already received real interest in the technology from the defence, space, medical sectors, as well as engineering companies associated with Formula 1 and those who design running shoes, car windscreens and mobile phone cases.
This project is funded by Kent’s Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) scheme. IAAs are institutional awards that have been introduced by Research Councils within UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to deliver funding mechanisms for knowledge exchange and impact activities.