Shock attenuation using methylcellulose gels

Shock attenuation is of prime concerns when bodily organs are involved, such as traumatic brain injury. Most armor systems nowadays are aimed at defeating the threat, such as breaking a projectile using hard ceramic armor. Yet, such solutions do not mitigate the initial acceleration (elastic) wave that is responsible for internal organ damage, although no penetration occurred.

Methylcellulose solutions, MC gels,  (5-10%) belong the the category of "inverse-freezing gels" that among other things solidify upon heating, thereby justifying the name of "invese freezing gels". But they were also shown to solidify from the liquid state upon application of a violent shock. This phenomenon is responsible for the partial absorption of the shock energy, thereby qualifying those gels for additional protection of the human body for example.

The shock attenuation properties of MC gels are described in the attached document for the first time, unravelling the large potential of those gels as shock mitigators.