page_title: D3o
section_title: D3O applications
hierarchical_section_title: D3o / D3O applications
caption_attribution_description: English: An example of d3o's protection Italiano: Un esempio di protezione fatta con it:d3o
context_page_description: D3O is a polyurethane energy-absorbing material containing several additives and polyborodimethylsiloxane a dilatant non-Newtonian fluid.
  Polyborodimethylsiloxane is a substance called a dilatant that in its raw state flows freely but on shock locks together to absorb and disperse energy as heat before returning to its semi-fluid state. The commercial material known as D3O is, in essence, a closed-cell polyurethane foam composite with polyborondimethylsiloxane as the dilatant dispersed through the foam matrix which makes the product rate-sensitive thus dissipating more energy than plain polyurethane at specific energy levels. The patent cites optimal proportions for a shock-absorbing foam composite formula: by volume, 15–35% of PBDMS and 40–70% fluid the remainder being polyurethane. D3O's technology is found in many sports equipment such as body armour. British engineers Dr Phil Green and Richard Palmer discovered the material in 1999, first isolating it at the University of Hertfordshire. Palmer and Green went on to found the firm D3O Lab to develop and market the product.
context_section_description: D3O has been applied in the following areas:
  Military
  Workwear
  Medical
  Sports, including ski and snowboard, lacrosse, baseball, fencing, cricket, volleyball, tennis, squash, ballet, boxing, shooting and sailing, mountain biking and cycling, equestrian and water sports
  Motorcycle apparel
  Footwear
  Cases for electronic devices
  Ice skating and figure skating
caption: An example of D3O being used in a kneepad.
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