A team of researchers from the U.K.’s University of Kent has developed a patented shock-absorbing material for both future aerospace and defense applications.

The protein-based family of material, dubbed Talin Shock Absorbing Materials (TSAM), is reportedly capable of absorbing supersonic projectile impacts.

Source: University of Kent

According to its developers, the material shows promise for the development of next-generation bullet-proof armor and projectile capture materials, which could potentially enhance the study of hypervelocity impacts in space.

The University of Kent team explained: “Our work on the protein talin, which is the cell's natural shock absorber, has shown that this molecule contains a series of binary switch domains which open under tension and refold again once tension drops. This response to force gives talin its molecular shock absorbing properties, protecting our cells from the effects of large force changes. When we polymerized talin into a TSAM, we found the shock absorbing properties of talin monomers imparted the material with incredible properties.”

In the lab, the University of Kent team subjected the material to 1.5 km/s supersonic impacts to demonstrate the possible real-world applications for the material. In addition to absorbing the impact of basalt particles and larger pieces of aluminum shrapnel, the material also preserved projectiles following impact.

This, according to the researchers, could result in the collection of space debris, space dust and micrometeoroids for scientific study. Similarly, these captured projectiles could influence the design of future aerospace equipment, thereby improving astronaut safety and extending the lifetimes of expensive aerospace equipment.

The material is detailed in the article, Next generation protein-based materials capture and preserve projectiles from supersonic impacts, which is detailed in the journal bioRxiv.