Polyurethane Research Articles

Selective hydrophilization based on alkaline-catalyzed alcoholysis: An approach to enhance the flotation of waste polyesters

Polyester plastics, constituting a substantial segment of the global plastic market, offer considerable potential market for the polyesters recycling. This study proposed an efficient separation technology for waste polyesters through flotation assisted by alkaline-catalyzed alcoholysis modification. The alkaline-catalyzed alcoholysis modification facilitates the selective hydrophilization of waste polyesters, regulating their float-sink behavior in flotation. According to the polyester floatability, the hydrophilicity of the modified polyesters is in order of PA6 > PET ≈ PU > PC > PMMA. Due to the different C–O and C–N bond strength, the modification selectively induced alcoholysis on the polyesters surface, enhancing their hydrophilicity by increasing the number of rough structure and hydrophilic functional groups on surfaces rather than introducing heteroatoms. The sinking products in flotation, including polyamide 6 (PA6), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyurethane (PU), could be separated from the floating products, such as polycarbonate (PC), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The binary separation was achieved under optimum conditions. The recovery and purity of PA6, PET, and PU could reach 100.0 % and 100.0 %, 100.0 % and 85.7 %, 79.9 % and 83.1 %, respectively. Consequently, the heterogeneous alcoholysis reactivity contributes to the selective hydrophilization of waste polyesters. This study established a hydrophilicity order of modified polyesters, and promoted flotation separation of waste polyesters.

Scientific evaluation on biodegradable and biofunctional polyurethane incorporated chitosan/elastin electrospun membranes in compared with synthetic polymeric expanded polytetrafluoroethylene and polyethylene terephthalate vascular membranes

Cardiovascular disease is a life-threatening health problem. Employing vascular membranes is one of the treatment options in cardiovascular surgery to replace damaged vascular tissues. However, certain limitations associated with synthetic polymeric vascular membranes (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) such as low biodegradability and biofunctional, may lead to thrombosis, inflammatory response, and tissue necrosis. Polyurethane (PU) is commonly applied in vascular engineering, owing to its good biocompatibility and biodegradability. Incorporating chitosan (CS) and elastin (EL) into the PU matrix, specifically in the design of electrospun nanofibrous membrane, is expected to enhance the biological properties of PU. These improvements are crucial to overcome the limitations of synthetic vascular membranes. Previously, there was no scientific comparison between synthetic vascular membranes and the improved design of PU-based nanofibrous membranes. This scientific comparison is pivotal to allow more research exploration on biodegradable and biofunctional materials towards the fabrication of vascular membranes. Herein, the physicochemical, biodegradability, and biofunctional capability of the electrospun PU-based electrospun membranes and two synthetic membranes were compared. Both PU and PU/CS/ES electrospun membranes were annotated with N–H, C–H, and C–N groups with the appearance of elongated fibers. The –CF2 group was presented in the e-PTFE membranes with the view of expanded fibril structure and interconnecting nodes. Whereas for the PET membranes, C=C, C=O, and C–O groups were noticed with the appearance of homogeneous knitted morphology. The PU/CS/ES membranes were found to be more hydrophilic than the PU and the synthetic membranes. The incorporation of CS and EL in the matrix of electrospun PU has improved the PU's biodegradability up to 23.86 ± 5.86 % at 60 days of incubation with the view of swollen and degraded elongated fibers, following the degradation test. Both synthetic polymeric membranes were declared non-biodegradable with less than 7 % degradation at similar incubation timepoint. The PU/CS/ES membranes were also found biofunctional with the most 82 ± 0.49 % of cell viability, protruded cell filopodia, and 44.24 ± 13.99 % scratch cell closure within 24 h of incubation. The incorporation of CS and EL into the PU matrix has improved the biodegradability and biofunctionality compared to the pure PU and synthetic polymeric membranes. Thus, highlight the suitability of PU/CS/ES electrospun membranes to be applied in cardiovascular tissue engineering.

Development of eco-friendly flame-retardant polyurethane using sustainable additives

Polyurethane (PU) stands as a pivotal polymer extensively employed in architecture, particularly for insulation in residential and industrial buildings, but the inherent flammability of PU poses a significant drawback, leading to the generation of hazardous fumes and gases; this demerit limits PU applications in various fields. Therefore, the development of environmentally friendly flame-retardant PU is of great significance practically. In this research, some attempts have been made to synthesize PU modified with three different flame-retardants separately: Lipids (soybean, oil, jojoba), Eggshells (CaCO3), and Lignin phosphate prepared from rice straw as sourced sustainably. The results of the Limit Oxygen Index (LOI) test for the raw sample without the addition of inhibitors showed 18.5%, while the sample with flame retardants was 23.5%, it has better thermal stability and the UL-94 grade advanced to “V0″. This study showed excellent promise as green additives for enhancing the mechanical, thermal and flame retardancy performance of these polymers.

Functional Zwitterionic Polyurethanes as Gate Dielectrics for Organic Field‐Effect Transistors

AbstractThe development of polymeric dielectrics with a high dielectric constant is of great significance for flexible low‐voltage organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs). Herein, functional polyurethanes (PUs) with nitro and sulfobetaine zwitterionic groups are synthesized, and their electrical properties, mechanical properties, and the performances of OFET devices using these zwitterionic PUs as gate dielectrics are studied. Compared with sulfobetaine zwitterion‐containing PUs, nitro‐containing PUs (NO2‐PUs) show higher dielectric constant up to 6.5. Both zwitterionic PUs enhance the OFET performances, while the effect of NO2‐PU is more significant. Devices using NO2‐PU‐15 that contains 15 moL% nitro groups as the dielectric layer show the best performance and a threshold voltage (Vth) of as low as −0.02 V together with two orders’ increase of the mobility is observed, compared with the devices using PU without nitro groups. This study provides a new method to improve the dielectric constant of polymeric dielectrics, which is valuable for flexible/stretchable and wearable electronic devices.

IMPACT OF HOLLOW CORE DIAMETER AND BFRP WRAPPING ON AXIAL COMPRESSIVE STATIC PERFORMANCE OF TIMBER

This paper presents an experimental study on the axial compressive static performance of the cylindrical timber-wrapped basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP). Beech and black pine woods were used as cylindrical timber material, polyurethane (PUR) adhesive was used as the adhesive agent, and BFRP was used as fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP). The stress on compression tests was applied to 70 pieces of test samples prepared. The results showed that there was found out that the highest average stress value of 51.8 MPa was achieved inthe black pine cylindrical timber- BFRP wrapping- hollow core (Ø=70 mm)- the beech cylindrical timber blocks- BFRP wrapping samples under compression loading. The lowest average value stress value of 30.78 MPa was found in the black pine cylindrical timber- none hollow core samples. On average, the stress of the black pine cylindrical timber- BFRP wrapping- hollow core (Ø=70 mm)- the beech cylindrical timber blocks- BFRP wrapping samples were68% higher than the stress of the black pine cylindrical timber- none hollow core samples. The influence of the hollow core diameter and the BFRP wrapping type were found statistically significant.

Bonding Characteristics of CLT Made from Silver Birch (Betula pendula Roth.), European Aspen (Populus tremula L.) and Norway Spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) Wood

This paper deals with the bonding characteristics of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels made of Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.), European aspen (Populus tremula L.), and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) wood. Three-layered single-species CLT panels were manufactured using birch, aspen, and spruce lamellae bonded with a one-component polyurethane (PUR) adhesive. Spruce CLT panels were used as reference. The bonding characteristics of CLT were assessed based on bond shear strength, total and maximum delamination, and wood failure percentage. The reference spruce CLT met both criteria (Delamtot ≤ 10%, Delammax ≤ 40%) for passing the delamination test, where up to 80% of the test samples passed. The aspen and birch CLTs met the criterion for maximum delamination (26.5% and 33.2%, respectively), but exceeded the maximum allowed value for total delamination (12.7% and 13.2%, respectively). However, the minimum requirement of 70% wood failure percentage (WFP) was met for all CLT types, with aspen CLTs achieving 83.7% and birch CLTs 76.9%. The spruce CLTs achieved an average bond shear strength of 1.9 N/mm2, while both hardwood CLTs had significantly higher values, with the aspen CLT at 3.3 N/mm2 and the birch CLT at up to 3.9 N/mm2. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that cross-laminated timber (CLT) made from hardwoods like aspen and birch is suitable for environments with low humidity fluctuations.

THE EFFECT OF SUPPORT LAYER MATERIAL AND ADHESIVE TYPE ON COMPRESSIVE DYNAMIC BENDING AND SHEAR STRENGTH IN LAMINATED WOOD

In this study, strength properties of wood material reinforced with carbon fiber fabric, steel wire mesh and bamboo veneer were determined. Polyvinylacetate (PVAc) and polyurethane (PUR) glues (D4)were used for the lamellas obtained from Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and eastern beech (Fagus orientalis L.). Compressive strength according to TS EN 408+A1; dynamic bending (shock) strength according toTS ISO 13061-10 and shear strength according to ASTM D 3110 were determined on 3 and 5-layers samples. According to the results, the highest compressive strength (62.8 N/mm2) was found in 5-layerseastern beech samples reinforced with carbon fiber fabric and bonded with PUR glue. The highest dynamic bending strength value (110.8 kJ/m2) was found in 5-layerseastern beech samples reinforced with carbon fiber fabric and bonded with PUR glue and the highest shear strength value (12.3 N/mm2) in 3-layered eastern beech samples reinforced with steel wire mesh and bonded with PUR glue.

Electrical Conductivity, Thermo-Mechanical Properties, and Cytotoxicity of Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(Styrene Sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/Sulfonated Polyurethane Blends.

Electrically conductive polymeric materials have recently garnered significant interest from researchers due to their potential applications in the biomedical field, including medical implants, tissue engineering, flexible electronic devices, and biosensors. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is considered the most successful conducting polymer due to its higher electrical conductivity and chemical stability, but it suffers from limited solubility in common organic solvents, poor mechanical properties, and low biocompatibility. An area of tremendous interest is in combining PEDOT:PSS with another polymer to form a blend or composite material in order to access the beneficial properties of both materials. However, the hydrophilic nature of PEDOT:PSS makes it difficult to produce composites with non-polar polymers. In order to overcome these problems, we have specifically designed and synthesized two new sulfonated polyurethanes (PUS) with high sulfonic acid functionality. The two polyurethanes, one water-soluble (PUS1) and one water-insoluble (PUS2), were used to make blends with two commercially available PEDOT:PSS formulations (CleviosTM FET and PH1000). Solvent cast films on glass substrates were made from water-soluble PEDOT:PSS/PUS1 blends while free-standing films of PEDOT:PSS/PUS2 blends were fabricated by compression-moulding. Ethylene glycol was used as conductivity enhancer, which showed an increase in the conductivity by several orders of magnitude in most of the compositions investigated. The highest conductivity of 438 S cm-1 was achieved for the blend with 80 wt% of PEDOT:PSS (PH1000) in PUS1.

Packing Incubation and Addition of Rot Fungi Extracts Improve BTEX Elimination from Air in Biotrickling Filters.

The removal of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) from air was investigated in two similar biotrickling filters (BTFs) packed with polyurethane (PU) foam, differing in terms of inoculation procedure (BTF A was packed with pre-incubated PU discs, and BTF B was inoculated via the continuous recirculation of a liquid inoculum). The effects of white rot fungi enzyme extract addition and system responses to variable VOC loading, liquid trickling patterns, and pH were studied. Positive effects of both packing incubation and enzyme addition on biotrickling filtration performance were identified. BFF A exhibited a shorter start-up period (approximately 20 days) and lower pressure drop (75 ± 6 mm H2O) than BTF B (30 days; 86 ± 5 mm H2O), indicating the superior effects of packing incubation over inoculum circulation during the biotrickling filter start-up. The novel approach of using white rot fungi extracts resulted in fast system recovery and enhanced process performance after the BTF acidification episode. Average BTEX elimination capacities of 28.8 ± 0.4 g/(m3 h) and 23.1 ± 0.4 g/(m3 h) were reached for BTF A and BTF B, respectively. This study presents new strategies for controlling and improving the abatement of BTEX in biotrickling filters.

Surfactant Regulated Chemical Modification of Rice Straw Powder for Biomass Composite Polyurethane Synthetic Leather

AbstractFor agricultural countries in Aisa, rice straw is a waste product, but also a valuable bioresource, with its recycling methods often drawing widespread attention. In this study, a novel multicomponent extraction method was proposed to perform comprehensive extraction of holocellulose and lignin from rice straw powder (RSP), resulting in modified rice straw powder (MRSP) with different micro‐morphologyies. The results indicate that the cosolvent tetraethylammonium chloride (TEAC) is more effective for extracting holocellulose and lignin compared to others, and different surfactants have decisive impacts on the extraction of holocellulose and lignin from RSP. Among them, anionic surfactants aid in the extraction of holocellulose, with sodium allylate sulfonate (SAS) being superior due to its greater changes in allyl polarity. Conversely, cationic surfactants facilitate the extraction of lignin, with octadearyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (OTAC) being superior due to the length of its alkyl‐carbon chain. And the quantized contribution of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups of surfactants to the extraction of holocellulose and lignin, as well as, the different micromorphology of MRSP is obtained. Additionally, compared to the traditional PU (polyurethane) modified by eucalyptus wood powder (EWP/PU), the MRSP was used to prepare a series of biomass composite polyurethane synthetic leather (MRSP/PU), its tensile strength and peel strength of MRSP/PU coatings are greatly enhanced at the feedstock of 18 %.

Structural insights into polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-degrading archaeal lipase enzyme: An insilico approach

Biodegradation of plastic is the most eco-friendly degradation process conferred by various microbial enzymes, especially the lipase enzymes. The lipase enzymes depict a broad substrate range, high regio/stereoselectivity, and stability in organic solvents. However, enhancing the catalytic activity of lipases for industrial production remains a challenge, predominantly due to the need for their extensive mechanistic characterization. Here, we employed a multidisciplinary approach to illustrate the comprehensive physiochemical and mechanical properties of 102 lipase sequences from six different groups of plastic-degrading microorganisms. Molecular docking-based evaluation of the binding efficiencies of selected lipases with the most common plastic polymers- polyurethane (PUR) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), revealed that the archaeal lipase had the lowest binding energy of −7.1 kcal/mol with PET. Remarkably, the molecular dynamic simulation studies (up to 100 ns) and very low RMSD (0.3 nm) and RMSF (0.25 nm) values further ascertained the stability of archaeal lipase after binding with PET polymer. Further, a 2.19 nm radius of gyration (Rg) within 100 ns simulation time, binding free energy ΔGTOTAL with −24.36 kcal/mol and entropy factor -TΔS 7.65 kcal/mol also indicated strong binding of archaeal lipase with PET polymer. The mechanistic exploration of archaeal lipase yielded valuable insights into its effective binding with PET polymer, paving the way for future lipase enzyme engineering and harnessing its industrial potential for plastic biodegradation.

Giant Cushioning Effect in Facile Polymer/Nanoclay-Coated Flexible Polyurethane Foams.

In this work, a flexible polyurethane (PU) foam/polymer/clay (PUF/PAASep) composite is prepared via a simple dip-coating method. The composite exhibits excellent damping properties under quasi-static compression, vibration transmissibility, and impact resistance. For the composite preparation, sepiolite (Sep) dispersion in a polyacrylic acid (PAA) solution is first homogenized and evaluated using microscopy, and the obtained PAASep suspension is used to coat the PU foam uniformly for optimization of the quasi-static mechanical performance of the foam composites. The PU foam struts coated with 1 wt % PAA and 3 wt % sepiolite are strengthened, resulting in an 8-fold improvement of the stiffness and three-times increase of the impact force resistance compared to the uncoated PU foams. More importantly, the PU foam composites show a remarkable vibration damping capability, with the loss modulus 57 times that of the uncoated PU foams, enabled by micro friction and stick-slip effects mediated by the PAASep coatings. The facile prepared PAASep-coated PU foams have significant potential for cushioning, packaging, and broad engineering applications involving energy absorption.

Response of circular type sandwich panel using JUCO-glass fiber with PU foam under three-point bending loading

In this study, a circular type honeycomb sandwich panel using natural JUCO and synthetic woven glass fiber was fabricated, and the bending properties like bending strength, modulus of rupture (MOR), and modulus of elasticity (MOE) were evaluated. Polyurethane (PU) foam was injected into the core structure to improve the bending strength. The orientation of jute and cotton fiber was varied to investigate the best stiffness and strength. In addition, twill-type JUCO fiber mat and synthetic woven glass fiber were also used to fabricate the circular type honeycomb sandwich panel. Finite element modeling was undertaken to validate the experimental results. Prior to the finite element analysis, a tensile test was carried out to determine the boundary conditions. Injecting polyurethane foam into the honeycomb core does not show any significant impact on bending properties. However, the deformation rate increased considerably by adding PU foam in the core structure. According to the results, honeycomb sandwich panels made of woven glass fiber with PU foam exhibited more homogenous deflection and bending compliance compared with others.

Photoactive hyperbranched poly(azo‐ester) urethanes as fluorescent staining agent for plant cells

Photoactive hyperbranched poly(azo‐ester) urethanes as fluorescent staining agent for plant cells

Room-temperature self-healing polyurethane with superior mechanical properties based on supramolecular structure for flame retardant application

Self-healing polymers, with their ability to extend service life and conserve resources, have garnered significant attention across various fields due to their immense potential applications. However, most repairable polymers typically require high temperatures for repair, and their relatively weak mechanical properties limit their practical use. Moreover, the flammability of polymers not only poses safety hazards during use but also fails to meet specific requirements for flame retardancy in certain fields. Addressing these issues, this study successfully designed a reactive self-extinguishing room-temperature self-healing polyurethane (PU) by introducing hyperbranched catechol (DBPA) onto the PU main chain. The prepared self-healing PU elastomer (DPU) exhibited high tensile strength (∼51.2 MPa), outstanding toughness (∼119.0 MJ/m3), recyclability, and good flame retardancy. Through intermolecular and intramolecular multilevel hydrogen bonding, the prepared DPU0.6 achieved room-temperature self-healing with an efficiency of approximately 71.2 %. The results showed that the addition of trace amounts of DBPA (0.6 wt%) significantly enhanced the flame retardancy and thermal stability of DPU. Compared to DPU0, the heat release rate (HRR) of DPU0.6 decreased by approximately 13 %, the total heat release (THR) reduced by 18 %, and the time to ignition (TTI) was extended by 7 s (reduced by ∼ 21 %). This study not only provides insights into the synthesis and design of novel self-healing PU but also further expands the application scope of self-healing PU.

Blast impact on the density-based tri-layered polyurethane foam

Cellular solids are interesting materials for blast energy absorption because of their high porosity, cell structure, and unique mechanical properties. Also, it will undergo graded compression over the same foam density. Hence, in this study, an experimental investigation of blast pressure impact on the trilayered sequences made of three different polyurethane (PU) foam densities of equal thickness, such as D1-29.201 kg/m3, D2-59.692 kg/m3, and D3-107.720 kg/m3 is carried out. The force transmitted (FT) on the reaction plate and incident force on the blast impact face are recorded. The maximum force amplification (Famp) of the 63.79% was observed in the S5 and the minimum of 6.19% in S4. Thus the reduction in Famp in S4 compared to S5 is 90.3%. Similarly, the energy absorbed (Eabs) by the trilayer is a maximum of 24.80 J in S2 and a minimum of 3.60 J in S3. The Eabs increased to 85.48% in S2 solely by altering the layer sequences in S3. Hence, the location of the density in the layer sequences plays a key role in effective blast mitigation on different response measures.

Molecular Simulation Analysis of Polyurethane Molecular Structure under External Electric Field.

Polyurethane (PU) materials are extensively utilized in power equipment. This paper introduces a comprehensive evaluation method that combines electromagnetics and computational chemistry based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT) to elucidate the impact of external electric fields on the molecular structure of PU during electrical contact. The study focuses on the microstructural and molecular energy changes in the hard (HS) and soft (SS) segments of PU under the influence of an electric field of uniform intensity. Findings indicate that the total energy of HS molecules decreases markedly as the electric field intensity increases, accompanied by a significant rise in both the dipole moment and polarizability. Conversely, the total energy and polarizability of the SS molecules decrease, while the dipole moment experiences a slight increase. Under the influence of a strong electric field, HS molecules tend to stretch towards the extremities of the main chain, leading to structural instability and the cleavage of hydroxyl O-H bonds. Meanwhile, the carbon chain of the SS molecules twists towards the center under the electric field, with no chemical bond rupture observed. At an electric field intensity of 8.227 V/nm, the HOMO-LUMO gap of the HS molecule narrows sharply, signifying a rapid decline in the molecular structure stability, corroborated by infrared spectroscopy analysis. These findings offer theoretical insights and guidance for the modification of PU materials in power equipment applications.

Modification mechanism of green polyurethane modified asphalt prepared by in-situ polymerization

In order to investigate the modification mechanism of green polyurethane (PU) modified asphalt prepared by in-situ polymerization, PU was separated from PU modified asphalt (PUMA) and the molecular fragmentation information of synthesized PU and separated PU was characterized by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The binding forms of the asphalt molecules to the PU were deduced, and the deduced structures were validated by infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic hydrogen spectroscopy, gel chromatography, elemental analysis, and molecular dynamics simulation. The results showed that compared to synthetic PU, the PU molecular fragments separated from modified asphalt additionally contained active asphalt components. Meanwhile, infrared and hydrogen spectra verified that the active components in the asphalt can chemically with -NCO in the PU prepolymer. The extension of curing time led to more combinations of asphalt molecules and PU prepolymers, which were manifested in the increases of the element contents of C, O, and S and the increase of molecular weight of PU separated from PUMA. The chain extender could not be completely reacted during the preparation and curing of PUMA and after curing for 6 months, the binding rate of PU prepolymer and chain extender was 24.80 %. PU prepolymer can react with the moisture in the air to generate amine group, and further generates urea group during the preparation and curing of PUMA. This work serves as a reference for the design and preparation of PUMA by in-situ polymerization.

A New Class of Mechano-Responsive PolyureThane Via Anthracene -TAD Diels-Alder (DA) Click Chemistry.

Smart or stimuli-responsive polymers have garnered significant interest in the scientific community due to their response to different stimuli like pH, temperature, light, mechanical force, etc. Mechanophoric polymer is an intriguing class of smart polymers that respond to external mechanical force by producing fluorescent moieties and can be utilized for damage detection and stress-sensing assessment. In recent reports on mechanophoric polymers, different mechanophoric motifs such as spiropyran, rhodamine, coumarin, etc. are explored. This investigation reports a new kind of mechanophoric polyurethane (PU) adduct based on Diels-Alder (DA) click chemistry. Here, an anthracene(An)-end capped tri-armed urethane system is synthesized, followed by a DA reaction using bis-(1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione) (bis-TAD) derivative. The incorporation of bis-TAD in the urethane system renders the anthracene inactive ("turn-off") by dismantling its conjugation as a result of a successful DA reaction. The soft PU translated into a harder material through bis-TAD linkages between polymer chains as evident from nanoindentation (NINT) analysis. The resulting material reverts back to its fluorescent "turned-on" mode owing to a force-accelerated retro-Diels-Alder (r-DA) reaction. Besides the mechanophoric attributes, the material demonstrates self-healing behavior examined by microscopic investigations. This innovative approach can be a potential route to design responsive polymers with dynamic functionalities for advanced material applications.

Bio-inspired helicoidal hemp/basalt/polyurethane rubber bio-composites: Experimental, numerical and analytical ballistic impact study with residual velocity prediction using artificial neural network

Recent body armour trends emphasize mobility, flexibility, and cost reduction while maintaining ballistic effectiveness through the use of natural fiber composite. This study evaluates the ballistic impact performance of soft and hard armor using experimental, analytical, numerical, and machine learning methods. We developed a soft armor bio-composite using monolithic, hybrid, and helicoidal structured Hemp (H)/Basalt (B)/Polyurethane (PU) rubber and tested its V50 ballistic limit according to Millitary-Standred-662 F. For hard armour, a multi-layer armor system (MAS) consisting of Al2O3/SiC ceramic, intermediate soft armour bio-composites, and an Aluminum (Al)-5052 plate backing was tested with armour-piercing bullets as per National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-0101.06 standards (Level IV). Soft armor performance was evaluated using macro-homogeneous finite element (FE), the Ipson-Retch analytical, and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) regression model. Results showed minimal discrepancies from experimental data, with differences of 13.33 %, 12.08 %, and 8.08 % in V50 ballistic limit. The mechanical and thermal behaviors of bio-composites were assessed using un-notched Charpy, FTIR, and TGA methods. Helicoidal laminates improved Charpy toughness by 9.44 %, 19.30 %, and 40.28 % compared to hybrid and monolithic ([H]15 and [H]10) laminates, and exhibited lower weight reduction at high degradation temperature of 395.76 ℃. Helicoidal laminates increased V50 ballistic performance by 155.80 %, 76.22 %, and 16.61 % compared to [H]10, [H]15, and hybrid laminates, respectively. Due to spiral load distribution reduces stress concentration and enhanced the damage resistance of the laminate. Stand-alone soft armor demonstrates crater formation and radial cracks (petaling) due to fiber wedging and the shearing effect of a bullet. In conclusion, MAS revels a maximum back face deformation (BFD) of 18.06 mm. Al2O3/Helicoidal/Al-plate MAS reduced weight and cost by 69.21 %, and 233.72 % compared to Kevlar™-based MAS, promoting sustainable, lightweight, economical designs. Due to its higher fracture toughness and lower density, SiC ceramic in MAS provides lower trauma and further reduced weight compared to Al2O3 ceramic.