Shear-stiffening porous material with impact-hardening functionality: Application in hydrogen explosion safety protection.

In this study, a shear-stiffening composite porous material (PU@CS) was developed using the dipping-drying technique, with polyurethane (PU) as the substrate. PU@CS not only overcomes the cold flow drawbacks of shear-stiffening gel (SSG) but also significantly enhances the mechanical properties of PU (with a one-order-of-magnitude increase in maximum storage modulus). The introduction of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) overcomes the electrostatic aggregation drawback of PU. Due to its outstanding shear hardening effect, PU@CS exhibits superior explosion-proof compared to PU, and when filled to a length of 50 cm, it achieves complete quenching of hydrogen gas explosion flames, with a maximum explosion overpressure attenuation ratio of 87.2%. This work provides data support for the application of SSG in the field of explosion protection. [Display omitted] • Shear stiffening gel was applied in the explosion-proof for the first time. • The shear-stiffening composite explosion-proof material was prepared. • PU@CS has excellent antistatic properties and its explosion-proof mechanism is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]