The prospect of producing lightweight bulletproof vest

A team from the University of South California led by Dr. Xiaodong Li has created a material called boron carbide, which is super-hard but very light.

This material is a combination of carbon (C) with boron (Bo).

The results of this study could open up the prospect of producing ultra-light bulletproof helmets for police and soldiers.

The material used to make armor is often very heavy, so the wearer is difficult to move. Actually, boron carbide has been used to make tanks.

Xiaodong Li said his team has sought to increase the flexibility and weight reduction of carbon carbide by incorporating a completely new blend of cotton.

Boron is the third hardest element on Earth, behind diamonds and another type of material made from boron. Cotton yarn is soft, airy and cheap.

The researchers used small strips of cloth and dipped in boron solution for about an hour. About an hour later, the researchers took the fabric out of the solution and put it into an environment that was more than 1,000 degrees Celsius in an hour.

The high temperature environment causes carbon and boron to combine to form boron carbide in those strips.

The material is lighter, more tough, more rigid and flexible than oil.

In addition to bulletproof capabilities, this new material can also block ultraviolet rays from the sun, radioactive material.

Even so, it can be used as a hull for the aircraft, for the car's hulls and for its engines, because of the reduced weight, which means less fuel and mobility.