An invention developed by Michigan State College researchers has the potential to reinforce security, decrease the variety of severe accidents, and enhance survival charges in numerous eventualities, together with auto accidents, sporting occasions, regulation enforcement missions, and extra. The research was printed in Nature Scientific Experiences.
In 2020 and 2022, Weiyi Lu, an Affiliate Professor at MSU’s Faculty of Engineering, developed a liquid nanofoam materials consisting of tiny water-filled pores, which has demonstrated effectiveness in defending the mind from traumatic accidents when used as a soccer helmet liner. Engineers and scientists at MSU have now enhanced this expertise to guard essential inside organs as effectively.
Falls, automotive accidents, and different collisions may end up in blunt power accidents and organ injury, which might produce life-threatening conditions. These accidents, which embrace inside lacerations, ruptures, hemorrhage, and organ failure, are incessantly attributable to excessive mechanical power or stress that doesn’t pierce the physique like a minimize however as an alternative severely damages the organs.
Collectively, Lu and Yun Liang, an Assistant Professor on the Faculty of Osteopathic Medication, are investigating how the liquid nanofoam may defend inside organs from blunt power accidents.
We improved the liquid nanofoam by adjusting its protecting response to match organic organs. Then, we sealed the liquid nanofoam materials inside a plastic pouch in regards to the dimension of 1 / 4 and made the brand new safety layer versatile and moldable sufficient to be worn comfortably towards the physique.
Weiyi Lu, Affiliate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Michigan State College
The pouch was employed as a protecting cowl, positioned over a tissue pattern, after which crushed by a machine with adequate power to simulate a blunt power trauma occasion to check the capabilities of Lu’s liquid nanofoam.
For the primary time, we are attempting to grasp how trauma is launched by mechanical power and successfully mitigated it by utilizing liquid nanofoam. We are attempting to grasp the power wanted to break an inside organ, which might be then transformed into the longer term design standards for protecting supplies.
Yun Liang, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Osteopathic Medication, Michigan State College
With out inflicting hurt to residing tissue, Lu and Liang found that the liquid nanofoam might tolerate a mechanical power equal to blunt power trauma. The liver, kidneys, coronary heart, and lungs had been among the many organic tissues that Liang and her staff confirmed had been shielded from pressures and forces equal to these attributable to blunt power trauma accidents by the liquid nanofoam.
I might see with my eyes that there’s actually no injury. I used to be completely amazed.
Yun Liang, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Osteopathic Medication, Michigan State College
Future makes use of for the liquid nanofoam may embrace lining the partitions of an earthquake-proof room, making use of it as a protecting layer inside an vehicle’s framework, or sporting it close to the physique as a protecting vest. These makes use of might save lives and cease blunt-force trauma occasions from damaging tissue and organs.
The MSU Tetrad Initiative for Interdisciplinary Analysis has funded the research.
Journal Reference:
Yang, F., et al. (2025) Efficient safety of organic tissues from extreme blunt power harm by engineered nanoscale liquid circulate. Nature Scientific Experiences. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80490-3
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