Protein tougher than metal could be used to print out body armor
Posted 10.22.2010 at 3:02 pm
34 Comments
Through Nano-Science, Better Body Armor
A new material composed of nanospheres is the stiffest organic material ever reported and could lead to everything from tougher metals and composites to better, lighter body armor.
U.S. Army
Printable body armor, better bulletproof glass, and tougher steel are just a few of the applications for a new materials technology developed by Israeli researchers. A team of scientists there have developed a transparent material made of self-assembling nanospheres that is the stiffest organic material ever created, surpassing the properties of stainless steel and even Kevlar.
Developed by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science and Tel Aviv University, the nanospheres are similar to the beta-amyloid proteins that make up the plaques found in the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. But the new nanospheres are reinforced with an additional protective layer that makes them really, really strong.
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Science, Clay Dillow, body armor, materials science, military, nanomaterials, nanotechNaturally, such a thin, strong material could lead to revolutionary improvements in body armor, and one of the researchers even told Discovery News that in principle you might be able to print custom body armor from the material. But it also could be used for a variety of other purposes, like strengthening existing metals and composites, creating medical implants, or improving the mechanical properties of ceramics and glasses. The researchers even think it might push forward technologically sci-fi projects like a space elevator.
But there’s still a lot of work to be done in the lab before the material sees mainstream usage. Patents are pending, but don’t expect to see printable, nanosphere body armor hitting the market anytime soon. Or diamond-tipped ammunition for that matter. For those who wish to comb through the nano-particulars, the paper is here.
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First!
Also, bring on the Space Elevator!
So much for nanotubes, lol.
error:
"A team of scientists there have developed a transparent materials "
should read:
"A team of scientists there have developed a transprent material."
or
"a team of scientists there have developed transparent materials"
This material's strength does not even compare to carbon nanotubes. They have a slightly higher Young's Modulus than steel. They are just much easier to make, it seems.
And carbon nanotubes don't compare to graphene.
But nothing compares to graphene!
It's very annoying when posters waste time and space correcting spelling and grammar. If you feel a correction should be made just contact the editor. Don't be so anal.
sheblindedmewithscience:
Do you have nothing better to do than find errors in PopSci articles? You even made a spelling error yourself. We all make mistakes and this author is no exception. Get off your high horse.
I know everyone remembers the "Transparent Aluminum" from StarTrek 4. It sounds like once again Science Fiction has become Science Fact.
This just further leads me to believe that star trek was made from actual evidence of real things they just turned it into a show!
So, how many Alzheimer’s patients brains were collected and ground up to figure this out?
So what happens when bullets don't work anymore? Diamond-tipped rounds hardly seem practical.
Military uses aside I'm curious as to what applications this may have in the future.
Actually, nothing compares to the strength and hardness of the material within a neutron star.
Manx77Optimized
Making armor from that stuff sure beats using a force field, imagine its tremendous gravity, but it's one heck of a load to carry.
bilbo's chainmail > that stuff
@chuck
Yes. That is basically what carbon nano tubes are. lol I could go into more depth but it's late and I'm feeling lazy ^.^
@ MaxHumbert
Mithril
"They range in size from about 30 nanometers down to just two microns"... 2 microns = 2000 nanometers. Maybe it should read the other way around.
You don't really have to break through body armor to kill an enemy. You just need to develop different types of weapons like Shockwave rounds or a more effecient flamethrower. Much better than diamond tipped rounds I think.
Let's apply this technology to auto bodies - no more getting your doors rudely dented by careless louts in the parking lot!
30 nanometers is smaller than 2 microns
with a few micron coating you have no mass to absorb the force of a bullet traveling at 2000fps. you would have a dead soldier without blood since the force would turn your insides into jelly but you would have a hansom corpse.
PROPOSED RESEARCH: Combination of sheets of Nano-spheres with Aerogels into a multi-ply, cross-biased laminate (rigid or flexible-conform) ... Possibly on a Kevlar or Doped-ceramic substrate. Also in combo with various stealth and hydro-dynamic coatings.
I am REALLY wondering about how various implementations of this tech would stand up to orbital temperatures and radiation, micro-meteorite strikes and "particle corrosion", in space ?? For INFLATABLE HABITATS ?!
I recall that NASA has attached materials test panels to various orbital platforms, to evaluate the long-term effects of the orbital environment, upon promising candidate fabrication materials.
Thermal tranfer-vs.-conductivity ... melting/flash-points, etc. will bear heavily on viable applications.
-
It may be bullet-proof. but with kevlar, when you get shot, it will hurt like crap. how painful would it be to get shot while wearing this?
It's transparent, extremely strong, and (since it's printable, I assume it's also) malleable/moldable...all it needs is electrical conductivity and it would solve the current indium tin oxide (ITO) shortage.
Though, getting proteins to conduct electricity is a pain in the ass. You could do it with a detergent, like SDS, but then you denature the proteins and they lose their properties.
Hmm...someone needs to figure this out; I need my touchscreens well past 2020!
-IMP ;) :)
I wonder if that post has some sort of embeded terror code ?
Looks like terror code to me. :-)
Whatttttttt. Space elevator?!?! OMG. Seriously, stronger than Kevlar? This is very impressive. Who would have thought that body armor could become even stronger. Unless soldiers begin using diamond tipped probes as weapons, it sounds like troops will be much more protected during combat in the near future.
So when is the release of a nanosphere vest to the public? By the way I know it was mentioned - but yes, 1000 nanometers = 1 microns - typo!
Protective glasses?
Nail polish for dominatrices?