Bullet-proof Graphene Bulletproof-grapheneBallistic vests use...

Bullet-proof Graphene


Bulletproof-grapheneBallistic vests use layers of very strong fiber to "catch" and deform a bullet, mushrooming it into a dish shape, and spreading its force over a larger portion of the vest fiber. The vest absorbs the energy from the deforming bullet, bringing it to a stop before it can completely penetrate the textile matrix. Some layers may be penetrated but as the bullet deforms, the energy is absorbed by a larger and larger fiber area.

Move over Kevlar, Australian scientists have come up with a cheaper, stronger graphene based material for bullet proof vests. Of course for military applications the new material will still need a metal or ceramic plate, at least at first. As a cheaper, easily produced material, I suspect that manufacturers will be quick to exploit this new discovery. My guess is that it will not take long to come up with other uses than just stopping bullets and shrapnel, though anything the helps reduce military budgets while improving safety, will be seized on by the military everywhere. One area of other interest might lie in hurricane proof shields for buildings in hurricane prone areas. Once again 21st century “wonder material” graphene is living up to its promise. We stand at the cusp of the graphene revolution.

'Bullet-proof' graphene composite tougher than Kevlar
Feb 3, 2012
(Nanowerk News) University of Wollongong (UOW) researchers have used graphene to develop a new composite material which can produce the toughest fibres to date- even tougher than spider silk and Kevlar. Graphene, the latest discovery in the nano world of carbon, has proven to be an amazing building block for advanced materials. The new graphene composite can be wet-spun into fibres with potential applications in bullet-proof vests and reinforcements for advanced composite materials. As published in Nature Communications ("Synergistic toughening of composite fibres by self-alignment of reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes"; open access), researchers from the UOW-based Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) have shown that graphene can work just as carbon nanotubes, a more common toughening agent, in polymer composites. It is also a much cheaper material and can be produced easily in large quantities.

—- Professor Spinks explained that the super tough fibres can be produced easily by a wet-spinning method and can be readily up-scaled. In this case, fibres were spun by collaborators at the Centre for Bio-Artificial Muscle at Hanyang University, Korea.
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- See more at: http://investorintel.com/graphite-graphene-intel/bullet-proof-graphene/#sthash.YfmUXfTI.dpuf