An international team of scientists announced the creation of a new ultra-light material. It turned out to be not only stronger than steel, but also significantly surpasses Kevlar in many respects.
The development belongs to specialists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the California Institute of Technology and the Graduate School of Technology Zurich. The material is created using nanoscale structures and in the future can replace armor, as well as act as impact-resistant coatings and anti-explosion screens. The ultra-lightweight material is manufactured using nanometer-sized carbon spacers, which gives it high mechanical strength.
The first tests by firing microparticles at supersonic speed proved the effectiveness of the new material. The experiment involved silicon oxide particles with a width of 14 microns, the speed of which reached 1100 m / s. The researchers confirmed that the particles were never able to pass through the material.
The possibility of applying the technology in real conditions is currently being studied. Since production is too complicated at this stage, it is too early to talk about a mass product. Scientists managed to obtain a small amount of material using a super-powerful laser that creates a pattern in the form of a tetrakaidecahedron from the solid structures of light-sensitive resin.