Transparent material developed that's twice as strong as Kevlar, infinitely weirder

Scientists in Israel have developed a transparent material with "the hardest organic nanostructure known to man," according to Discovery News. Based on artificial proteins similar to (and simpler than) the beta-amlyoid proteins that have been linked to Alzheimer's disease, and covered with transparent nanospheres, the new material is very, very strong: in order to cut it, a diamond-tipped probe would have to apply twice the pressure it would take to cut Kevlar. Researchers see it being used for anything from bulletproof armor to reinforced steel -- but don't throw out your old body armor yet! It could be years (if not decades) before this comes to market.

Transparent material developed that's twice as strong as Kevlar, infinitely weirder originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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