Engineers at MIT, Caltech and ETH Zurich have created a "nanoarchitected" ultralight material that can absorb impact and stop microparticles at supersonic speed:
The researchers have fabricated an ultralight material made from nanometer-scale carbon struts that give the material toughness and mechanical robustness. The team tested the material's resilience by shooting it with microparticles at supersonic speeds, and found that the material, which is thinner than the width of a human hair, prevented the miniature projectiles from tearing through it.
The material, which is more efficient than Kevlar, can potentially be used as armors, protective coatings, and blast-resistant shields in defense and space applications.
#nanoscale #armor #carbon #Kevlar
Image: Carlos Portela et al.