Textile materials with a high specific tensile strength and modulus are the common choice for the manufacture of protective body armour. With gun control legislation becoming increasingly strict, sharp objects have become accessible weapons, and injuries arising from stabbings are now much more common. Conventional body armour has traditionally been bulky, stiff, uncomfortable and challenging to disguise under clothing. Therefore, there is a greater requirement for flexible and wearable stab-resistant materials.

Aramid materials are well known for providing high ballistic protection, however, these materials commonly have low puncture resistance. Recently advanced strategies have been incorporated into the development of stab-resistant materials to improve performance. This includes techniques such as treating the materials with resin or coating the material with hard and refractory particles to improve the flexibility of the material as well as its resistance to sharp objects.

In this innovation profile WTiN reports on a research outcome from Shandong Non-Metallic Materials Institute, China, detailing the development of a novel stab-resistant material that incorporates vinyl ester resin–aramid composites coated with silica (SiC) particles for the development of a cost-effective, high-performance and flexible stab-resistant material.