Polyacrylate and Carboxylic Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Strengthened Aramid Fabrics as Flexible Puncture-Resistant Composites for Anti-Stabbing Applications

Lightweight and soft puncture-resistant fabrics have great applications in professional clothing. A soft composite fabric was fabricated by coating a water-soluble polyacrylate emulsion (PAE) on the surface of aramid fabric (AF; AF/PAE). The areal weight of AF/PAE fabric was only 7.1% higher than that of AF ones. Under spike stabbing, both the maximum load and energy absorption capacity of AF/PAE were about 4.5 times higher than those of AF. The puncture resistance of AF/PAE was superior to those of shear thickening fluid (STF)-impregnated AF (AF/STF) and polyurethane (PU)-sprayed AF (AF/PU) under the same areal weight or thickness. Carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH; 0.4 wt %) were then added to AF/PAE to further enhance the puncture resistance of the composite fabric. The spike punching resistance of AF/PAE increased by about 49.2% after the addition of MWCNTs-COOH. MWCNTs-COOH created a bridge effect between fibers to enhance friction between yarns. In addition, MWCNTs-COOH on the fiber surface can form a network protective membrane, which can effectively disperse stress and reduce fiber fibrillation, thus improving the puncture resistance of the fabric. This study provides an efficient method for the development of lightweight and flexible anti-stabbing equipment.