Graphene: The Miracle Material That Can Stop A Bullet (2024)

Nearly all of us have come into contact with graphene, but probably haven't realized it. The remarkable material comes from graphite—a more commonly known carbon that's used in pencils—and has proved to have many applications since scientists discovered it in 2004. Most recently, a team of researchers found that it may even be used to save lives.

Despite graphene being remarkably thin, it's strong enough to protect from a bullet, according to a statement describing the new research. Scientists found that by arranging two layers of graphene together, it becomes durable enough to handle impact at room temperature. They've named the new material "diamene."

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"This is the thinnest film with the stiffness and hardness of diamond ever created," study author Elissa Riedo, a physics professor at The City University of New York (CUNY), said in a statement. "Previously, when we tested graphite or a single atomic layer of graphene, we would apply pressure and feel a very soft film. But when the graphite film was exactly two-layers thick, all of a sudden we realized that the material under pressure was becoming extremely hard and as stiff, or stiffer, than bulk diamond."

Riedo and her colleagues conducted various experiments and calculations, which showed that it's theoretically possible for the material to undergo the diamond transition. However, they note that it only occurs when exactly two layers of graphene are used. When they tried to use more or less layers, it failed, according to their findings published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

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"Graphite and diamonds are both made entirely of carbon, but the atoms are arranged differently in each material, giving them distinct properties such as hardness, flexibility and electrical conduction," study author Angelo Bongiorno, and associate professor of chemistry at CUNY College of Staten Island, explained in a statement. "Our new technique allows us to manipulate graphite so that it can take on the beneficial properties of a diamond under specific conditions."

Bullet-proof vests made of graphene are just one example of how the material has the ability to be a game changer. Scientists have also envisioned graphene be used to create clean drinking water and provide ultrafast wireless communication, among many other uses.

Graphene: The Miracle Material That Can Stop A Bullet (2024)

FAQs

Graphene: The Miracle Material That Can Stop A Bullet? ›

The ability of graphene to dissipate energy, the team explains, is due to a high degree of stiffness combined with low density, which means that energy can move through it very quickly, allowing for the dissipation of energy from something traveling as fast as a bullet.

How much graphene does it take to stop a bullet? ›

Researchers from Rice University found that 300 layers of graphene – which is, after all, at most 100nm thick – were capable of stopping such microbullets entirely.

Can 2 layers of graphene stop a bullet? ›

The researchers discovered that two layers of graphene stacked on top of one another can temporarily become as hard as diamond — and just as impenetrable — when struck by, say, a bullet.

Can 300 layers of graphene stop a bullet? ›

Rice University researchers in 2014, for example, were able to create similar graphene sheets that were able to stop bullets. To be effective, though, they had to use 300 layers of graphene. Considering each graphene layer is only one carbon atom thick, 300 layers sounds like almost nothing.

How many layers of graphene does it take to stop a 50 cal bullet? ›

Any bullet would go through 2 layers of graphene. Including bullets dropped from a small height rather than fired from a gun. Materials engineering details are given at the end of this answer.

Does graphene body armor exist? ›

Yes, indeed it can! Citizen Armor bulletproof vests function on this fact. Our armor is designed to be a soft body armor option that benefits from graphene microfiber. Layers of graphene sheets are positioned to provide NIJ Level 3A ballistic protection.

What breaks down graphene? ›

(22-26) In particular, peroxidases such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP), myeloperoxidase, and eosinophil peroxidase have been demonstrated to degrade both carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide.

Why doesn t military use graphene? ›

Normal Graphene isn't as strong as kevlar. The only carbon design that might be strong as kevlar would be long strings of carbon nanotubes, but the longest we have made so far is about 1/4 of a inch, and with errors (weak points) in the nanotubes. One doesn't exist, the other very thick to work and also very expensive.

Can the body break down graphene? ›

Reporting their results in in the journal Small, the researchers show that myeloperoxidase -- derived from human white blood cells in the presence of a low concentration of hydrogen peroxide -- can completely metabolise graphene oxide in the case of highly dispersed samples.

Does graphene block radiation? ›

The electrical conduction capacity and thermal conductivity of graphene can be exploited in the formulation of shielding coatings against EM radiation, since graphene forms a continuous network along the surface of the coating, creating hom*ogeneous films that block radiation.

Is graphene attracted to magnets? ›

Graphene is intrinsically nonmagnetic as all the outer electrons in carbon hexatomic rings are perfectly paired to take shape in σ- and π-bonds. All the efforts to make graphene magnetic are carried out to break the symmetric bonds to release the unpaired electrons and generate net spins.

Is graphene better than Kevlar? ›

If there's one thing graphene is known for, other than its conductivity, it is its sheer strength. Despite its low weight, the material is remarkably strong and durable, even more so than steel or Kevlar.

What is the strongest metal that can stop a bullet? ›

In the end, titanium is bulletproof for the most part against bullets fired from guns that one would likely find on the shooting range, on the street or on the hunt in the mountains. Most guns legally bought and owned by individuals will likely not penetrate titanium.

Can graphene replace Kevlar? ›

CNT yarns had more acceptable ballistic limit than Kevlar, but the ballistic limit of graphene is much higher than CNT yarn as well as Kevlar. From these results it is evident that the graphene can potentially replace the existing body armour materials.

Can a sheet of graphene stop a bullet? ›

(Phys.org)—A team of researchers working at Rice University in the U.S. has demonstrated that graphene is better able to withstand the impact of a bullet than either steel or Kevlar.

Can graphene block a bullet? ›

Graphene-based armor could stop bullets by becoming harder than diamonds. While bullet-proof body armor does tend to be thick and heavy, that may no longer be the case if research being conducted at The City University of New York bears fruit.

Can a bullet break through graphene? ›

They found that graphene has twice the stopping power of Kevlar, or about 10 times the stopping power of steel plate. The impact of these tiny (micrometer-sized) bullets caused the graphene to deform into a cone shape — and then crack radially.

How many layers of graphene does it take to stop a 9mm? ›

Any bullet would go through 2 layers of graphene. Including bullets dropped from a small height rather than fired from a gun. Materials engineering details are given at the end of this answer.

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