Preparation of Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene/WS2 Composites for Bulletproof Materials and Study on Their Bulletproof Mechanism

Abstract

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/WS2 nanoparticle fibers were prepared by adding inorganic fullerene-like (IF) WS2 nanoparticles treated by a coupling agent to the precursor solution of UHMWPE. The influence of WS2 nanoparticles on the microstructure and properties of UHMWPE fibers were characterized by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and mechanical property measurements. The bulletproof performance of the UHMWPE/WS2 composite was tested by a bullet-shock test, and the bulletproof mechanism of the UHMWPE/WS2 composite was preliminarily studied. The results showed that WS2 nanoparticles could be uniformly dispersed in the UHMWPE fiber. After incorporating of WS2 nanoparticles, the UHMWPE fibers became stiffer and tougher than the pristine ones. In particular, the modulus of the fibers increased from 1203 to 1326 cN/dtex. The introduction of IF-WS2 nanoparticles led to significantly improved bulletproof performance of UHMWPE fibers.