Impact protection behavior of a mordenite zeolite system

By combining zeolite with water, a novel nanocomposite may exhibit extraordinary capability of energy absorption and impact mitigation. The multiple size of zeolite may lead to simultaneous yet different infiltration behaviors of water molecules, and thus multi-staged energy mitigation characteristics (which may benefit the scope of application). In this study, we investigate the dynamic infiltration behavior of water into mordenite zeolite (MOR) using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Thanks to its hydrophobicity and multi pore-sized structure, the MOR system has a decent energy mitigation performance upon high impact speed. Parametric studies are carried out to investigate the effects of various parameters, including the impact speed, mass, and water/zeolite ratio, on energy mitigating characteristics. The MOR/water mixture may perform better at a higher impact energy with higher MOR zeolite-water ratio. Upon unloading, the defiltration of water molecules is faster and more complete at higher impact speed. Results may guide the design and application of the energy mitigation nanosystem.