New, super durable carbon fiber for sewing armor

British scientists have just released a new, lightweight and ultra-durable carbon fiber to weave into armor fabric. According to the research results, this type of fiber has a much better structure than the current type for sewing armor.

As a result of efforts to create the world's most durable man-made fibers, the new material was developed by experts from the Materials and Metallurgy Department of Cambridge University, England.

New, lightweight and ultra-durable carbon fiber made by American scientists.(Photo: BBC)

The team said the fiber is more durable, lighter and harder than the fiber currently used to produce armor pressure. Each such thread is made of millions of hollow cylindrical carbon nanotubes, only a few billionths in diameter in diameter, and bound together into a solid network.

The structure of these carbon nanotubes is extremely strong. According to Professor Windle, 'they are probably ten times more durable than the most durable fibers we know.' In addition, they also have nearly diamond hardness .

Unlike regular carbon fiber, this new carbon fiber can be woven into fabric easily due to its high elasticity. The method of making this type of yarn is simple but also very delicate. Accordingly, hydrocarbon materials - such as ethanol, hexane, methane or diesel - are introduced into the metallurgical furnace along with a small amount of iron-derived catalyst, called ferrocene.

Inside the furnace, the hydrocarbons are pyrolysed into hydrogen and carbon, and the carbon is chemically restructured by the catalyst to become long, thin carbon nanotubes and intertwined into charged High elasticity, looks a bit like a dark ' socks ' stretched out.

One of the main applications of the new carbon fiber is the production of ultra-durable bulletproof vests.(Photo: US Army)

Next, a pull rod is inserted into the furnace from below to hold one end of the ' sock ' and pull it down firmly. This stretching makes the ' sock ' a long, thin carbon fiber, and the yarn is continuously wound onto a shaft.

The lead researcher, Professor Alan Windle, of Cambridge University, said: 'Our fibers may be better than today's Kevlar yarns in every respect. With existing properties, the new yarn can be woven into a garment, or combined with other complex materials to produce durable products. '

According to experts, the important application of this new carbon fiber is to produce ultra-durable bulletproof vests , because it is more durable, tougher and tougher than the fabric used to sew the current armor. In addition, it can be used in making other products, such as sports equipment, high-tech ' smart ' clothes, solar-powered panels, replacing copper wires in power transmission and signaling, etc.

The team is seeking funding to upgrade this method from a laboratory scale to an industrial production process. This research has attracted special attention from the UK Ministry of Defense and the US Army.

Vinh Tho