Metamaterials are harder than diamonds when shot

US scientists have successfully fabricated a malleable plastic-like blade that is thin enough but hard to block a bullet.

Scientists at the University of New York's Center for Advanced Science Research (ASRC) use two layers of graphene - one layer at a time - as a carbon atom - to create a kind of magnet. New material as diamond when impact at room temperature.

This material is called diamene . It will have many potential uses in the future, such as waterproof coatings or ultra lightweight armor. The results are published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology in December 2017.

If the diamene material is shot by a bullet, it will prevent the bullet from passing. Photo: Ella Maru Studio.

"In the past, when we tested graphene with a simple layer of carbon atoms, the material was relatively soft when exposed to an impact force." New material under pressure has become super hard, even harder than diamond, "said Elisa Riedo, lead author of the study at the ASRC.

Diamene is normally quite soft and flexible, but when it comes to impact it becomes much harder. So if the diamene material is shot by a bullet, it will prevent the bullet from passing.

Interestingly, the transition from soft to hard like diamonds occurs only when exactly two layers of graphene are put together. The number of layers of graphene less or more does not occur.

"Graphite and diamond are made entirely of carbon, but carbon atoms are arranged differently in each material, giving them different properties such as hardness, flexibility and electrical conductivity. The new technology allows us to work on graphite that makes it possible to carry diamond-like features under certain conditions, "said team member Angelo Bongiorno.

The "magical material" was first discovered in 2004 by splitting graphite into single-layered carbon atoms. Since then, the science has put a lot of new applications for this material, from clean energy to night vision lenses.