Uploaded May 2014 | Updated September 2026, 55 minutes ago
Kevlar: Keeping Astronauts Safe in Space
Erica, Evan, Jim, Rachel
Protecting humans while in space is an important technological challenge. As scientists try to explore the solar system and observe the Milky Way, they need to be able to survive the harsh conditions of space. Space suits provide the essential oxygen, pressurized atmosphere, and protection from extreme temperatures and micrometeoroids for humans as they move outside of the International Space Station. One crucial material used in making these space suits is Kevlar (Poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide). Woven Kevlar helps solve the challenge of putting humans in space because it is strong, yet lightweight, and allows for some motion of the body unlike a hard, solid metal. Kevlar's strength is attributed to a combination of inter-chain hydrogen bonds and stacking interactions between adjacent bonds. The process of production of Kevlar also gives it strength. It is drawn into fibers and then sewn in a crosshatched pattern into a fabric. Kevlar can ideally hold its strength down to -196°C, which is important for space travel, as it can get extremely cold outside of the earth's protective atmosphere. If exposed to extreme heat, Kevlar will not melt like other plastics, and will only degrade after reaching 450 degrees C. There are also other insulators in space suits that protect astronauts from the extreme temperatures of space. Because of the nature of Kevlar it has a versatile array of uses such as bulletproof vests, paneling on air force jets, helmets, and cut-resistant gloves. Kevlar has qualities that make it very protective from punctures, thus enabling engineers and designers to utilize these qualities for the manufacturing and future development of safer and more lightweight space suits.
References:
• "Banner." LCP Fiber Manufacturer| Synthetic Cable Solutions. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. vectranfiber.com
• Dunbar, Brian. NASA. NASA, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html#.U2aWUPRDuSo
• Freudenrich, Ph.D. Craig. "How Space Suits Work." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 14 Dec. 2000. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. science.howstuffworks.com/space-suit1.htm
• "High Strength High Modulus Fibers." High Strength High Modulus Fibers. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. http://gertrude-old.case.edu/276/materials/21.htm
• "KEVLAR®: Composites Grade vs. Ballistics Grade - Fibre Glast Blog." Fibre Glast Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. blog.fibreglast.com/kevlar-2/kevlar-composites-grade-vs-ballistics-grade
• NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. nasa.gov
• USA. NASA Technical Memorandum. By William L. Miller. Cleavland: n.p., 1985. NASA. NASA. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19880010206.pdf
Kevlar: Keeping Astronauts Safe in Space
Erica, Evan, Jim, Rachel
Protecting humans while in space is an important technological challenge. As scientists try to explore the solar system and observe the Milky Way, they need to be able to survive the harsh conditions of space. Space suits provide the essential oxygen, pressurized atmosphere, and protection from extreme temperatures and micrometeoroids for humans as they move outside of the International Space Station. One crucial material used in making these space suits is Kevlar (Poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide). Woven Kevlar helps solve the challenge of putting humans in space because it is strong, yet lightweight, and allows for some motion of the body unlike a hard, solid metal. Kevlar's strength is attributed to a combination of inter-chain hydrogen bonds and stacking interactions between adjacent bonds. The process of production of Kevlar also gives it strength. It is drawn into fibers and then sewn in a crosshatched pattern into a fabric. Kevlar can ideally hold its strength down to -196°C, which is important for space travel, as it can get extremely cold outside of the earth's protective atmosphere. If exposed to extreme heat, Kevlar will not melt like other plastics, and will only degrade after reaching 450 degrees C. There are also other insulators in space suits that protect astronauts from the extreme temperatures of space. Because of the nature of Kevlar it has a versatile array of uses such as bulletproof vests, paneling on air force jets, helmets, and cut-resistant gloves. Kevlar has qualities that make it very protective from punctures, thus enabling engineers and designers to utilize these qualities for the manufacturing and future development of safer and more lightweight space suits.
References:
• "Banner." LCP Fiber Manufacturer| Synthetic Cable Solutions. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. vectranfiber.com
• Dunbar, Brian. NASA. NASA, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html#.U2aWUPRDuSo
• Freudenrich, Ph.D. Craig. "How Space Suits Work." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 14 Dec. 2000. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. science.howstuffworks.com/space-suit1.htm
• "High Strength High Modulus Fibers." High Strength High Modulus Fibers. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. http://gertrude-old.case.edu/276/materials/21.htm
• "KEVLAR®: Composites Grade vs. Ballistics Grade - Fibre Glast Blog." Fibre Glast Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. blog.fibreglast.com/kevlar-2/kevlar-composites-grade-vs-ballistics-grade
• NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. nasa.gov
• USA. NASA Technical Memorandum. By William L. Miller. Cleavland: n.p., 1985. NASA. NASA. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19880010206.pdf










![Lithium Ion Batteries in Electric Vehicles
By Austin Anderson, Lewei He, Kiri Nicholson, and Brooke Noeska
Adoption of electric cars has been on the rise for the past decade due to the substantial advances that have been made by improvement of technology. The greatest challenges regarding electric cars are their batteries. Finding a balance between battery life, weight, rechargeability, and cost has proven to be a significant issue.
This video focuses on lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. First, we provide a quick survey of electric vehicle designs. We then discuss chemistry, physics, and material science behind basic design of lithium-ion batteries. Next, we look at challenges that electric vehicles and the batteries face, which is the balance between adequate energy storage and weight of the battery.
How do we solve these challenges? The answer to this question lies within the material science paradigm triangle, which looks at property, processing, and structure. One key aspect in performance of the battery is the use of silicon versus graphite anodes, in which lithium ions are absorbed. Considering properties, graphite is more stable while silicon can absorb more ions, although they sometimes absorb too much and fail due to the mechanical stress. Considering processing, silicon films as thin as 20nm can absorb nearly the maximum amount of ions while limiting the amount of load the ions create. Finally, in a structural view, research has shown that small amount of tin in silicon anodes can greatly enhance capacity. Similarly, silicon-graphene anodes are another option with improvements in capacity and stability. In this perspective, the way to improve performance is clear: thinner silicon sheets with small amount of tin.
Lithium ion batteries hold a lot of advantages over other types of power sources. Compared to gasoline, vehicles produce less emission by using power that may be generated by renewable and nuclear energy. Compared to other batteries, lithium-ion provides high energy density by weight, relatively low amount of toxic and hazardous elements, and a good cycle durability.
The future of electric vehicles is immense, and with advancements in material science, lithium-ion batteries will likely continue to provide the energy that not only drives cars, but also drives the growth of the market of electric vehicles.
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Armand, M., & Tarascon, J. (2008). Building Better Batteries. Nature: International
Weekly Journal of Science. doi:10.1038/451652a (Kiri, 4)
Bonheur, K. (2016, November 09). Lithium ion battery: Advantages and disadvantages.
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(Kiri 7)
Fuel Cells (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2017 from
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Gordon-Bloomfield, N. (n.d.). Drive a Solar-Charged Electric Car, Save $263,000 On Fuel Over 50 Years? Retrieved May 06, 2017, from http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1072774_drive-a-solar-charged-electric-car-save-263000-on-fuel-over-50-years (Austin)
Is Lithium-ion the Ideal Battery? (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2017, from
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(Kiri)
Johnson, D. (2016, March 31). Silicon and Graphene Combo Finally Achieve
Lithium-Ion Battery Greatness. Retrieved April 29, 2017, from http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/materials/potential-of-silicon-and-graphene-together-for-liion-electrodes-realized (Brooke)
Lithium-ion batteries: Capacity might be increased by six times. (2016, August 8).
Retrieved April 29, 2017, from https://phys.org/news/2016-08-lithium-ion-batteries-capacity.html (Brooke)
Nightingale, S. (2016, August 03). Next generation anode to improve lithium-ion
batteries. Retrieved April 29, 2017, from https://techxplore.com/news/2016-08-anode-lithium-ion-batteries.html (Brooke)
Patent US20110269021 - Lithium ion battery. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2017, from
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Poole, I. (n.d.). Lithium Ion Battery Advantages & Disadvantages. Retrieved April 13,
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Schalkwijk, W. A., & Scrosati, B. (2002). Advances in lithium-ion batteries
[0-306-47508-1]. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from
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2&dq=lithium ion
batteries&ots=iPe1E1imBy&sig=SWZFulm00zK0mR3dnmfZDxnitoA#v=onepage
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Found online via Google Books, used first part of book that was available for free
(2, Kiri)
US Census Bureau. (2012, September 3). Industry Statistics. Retrieved April 29,
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Full formal citations, including media:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sCPeQ1gHOVPE0COEYim5HV6xPzWtWXbF5XOx9km1w-I/edit?usp=sharing Lithium Ion Batteries in Electric Vehicles](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x4qzxTEeCWU/mqdefault.jpg)