Shock and Acoustic Wave Dissipation in Polyethylene-Ceria Nanocomposites

High-impedance nanoparticle inclusions provide a potential means to control wave propagation in plastic composites while maintaining local thermodynamic equilibrium across phases. We use forward-ballistic plate impact experiments to compare wave dissipation characteristics for composites of various thickness, comprised of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and ceria nanoparticles at concentrations of 0, 10 and 20 vol%. The rise time of the shock front is found to increase with composite thickness and to be significantly greater for the two nanocomposites than for pure HDPE. The results are corroborated by acoustic wave transmission measurements at near-ambient pressure that also indicate increased wave attenuation with nanoparticle addition. The findings are discussed in terms of independent structural characterizations of the HDPE and ceria phases.

Partial support provided by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.