A bulletproof polymer composite material that is paper-thin and self repairing

A new polymer composite can absorb the impact from high-velocity projectiles and instantly repair itself. The super soldier of the future will be outfitted in razor-thin armor that is impervious to bullets developed with a special ballistics material that is only 20 nanometers thick (a water molecule is just one-nanometer wide) and can stop a deadly projectile in its tracks.
The material has been discovered by researchers from Rice University and MIT. When performing ballistic tests on the material at MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, those 20 nanometer thick layers were able to stop a 9 millimeter bullet and seal the entryway behind it. The material, a structured polymer composite made of alternating rubbery and glassy layers, can absorb the kinetic energy from high impact assaults with startling efficiency. One of the challenges to making thinner and lighter protective gear is being able to test new, promising materials effectively in the lab. Researchers need to know precisely why those nanolayers are so good at dissipating energy. For this, polymers have to be analyzed, which can take days. Hence the MIT-Rice team also came up with an innovative testing method, where they shot tiny glass beads at the material. Although the beads were only a millionth of a meter in size, they simulated bullet impact. During tests, researchers blasted it with tiny glass beads that simulated the impact from a 9 millimeter bullet. The ultra-thin layers halted a projectile in its path, and sealed up around the embedded bead. When the composite is hit, it quickly melts into a liquid before instantaneously hardening to close up the resulting damage. That means that there are no structural deformities to deal with, no macroscopic damage; the material does not fail and it does not crack- making it a candidate for a great ballistic windshield material. Under a scanning electron microscope the material's layers look like corduroy so the projectile impact can be seen clearly. In addition to yielding better body armor for soldiers and police, the composite could potentially provide more resilient outer layers for spacecraft to ward off meteorite fragments and other space debris, and more durable jet-turbine blades.