UOW researchers develop ‘bullet proof’ graphene UOW researchers
have used graphene to develop a new composite material which can
produce the toughest fibres to date- even tougher than spider
silk and Kevlar! Graphene, the latest discovery in the nano
world of carbon, has proven to be an amazing building block for
advanced materials. The new graphene composite can be wet-spun
into fibres with potential applications in bullet-proof vests
and reinforcements for advanced composite materials. As
published today in Nature Communications, researchers from the
UOW-based Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science
(ACES) have shown that graphene can work just as carbon
nanotubes, a more common toughening agent, in polymer
composites. It is also a much cheaper material and can be
produced easily in large quantities. ACES Senior Researcher and
paper co-author Professor Geoff Spinks said the ratio of
grapheme to carbon nanotubes was a key factor in the development
of the composite. “Quite surprisingly, we found tha