Nanofabricated Tetrakaidecahedrons: A New Bulletproof Material?

Novel Nanoengineered Material Rivals Kevlar and Steel in Toughness

A groundbreaking material, developed collaboratively by researchers at MIT and Caltech, demonstrates exceptional toughness, potentially surpassing that of materials like kevlar or steel. This innovative substance is constructed from interconnected carbon structures known as “tetrakaidecahedrons.”

Investigating Nanoarchitected Materials for Enhanced Protection

The research, spearheaded by Carlos Portela of MIT, focused on evaluating the feasibility of utilizing nanoarchitected materials – those engineered and fabricated at the nanometer scale – for applications requiring extreme resilience. Specifically, the team explored their potential in creating superior blast shields, body armor, and other protective surfaces.

The Tetrakaidecahedron: A Historically Proposed Structure

The concept of materials based on tetrakaidecahedrons isn’t recent. Lord Kelvin initially proposed this complex 14-sided polyhedron, of which approximately 1.5 billion variations exist, back in the 19th century. He theorized it was among the most efficient shapes for space-filling replication.

Shock Absorption Potential Explored

Portela and his team questioned whether densely packed and interconnected tetrakaidecahedrons could function as effective shock absorbers. Prior testing had examined these materials under slow deformations, but their response to high-velocity impacts, such as those from bullets or micrometeoroids, remained unknown.

Experimental Impact Testing

To address this, the researchers fabricated blocks of the material using nanolithography techniques. The resulting structures were then subjected to a baking process to achieve a pure carbon composition. Subsequently, they were impacted by silicon oxide projectiles, 14 microns in width, traveling at supersonic speeds.

Image Credits: MIT/Caltech

Remarkable Impact Absorption and Deformation

The carbon structures, particularly those with higher density, exhibited exceptional impact absorption capabilities. They effectively halted the projectiles without fracturing, instead undergoing deformation.

Efficiency Compared to Kevlar

“We show the material can absorb a lot of energy because of this shock compaction mechanism of struts at the nanoscale versus something that’s fully dense and monolithic, not nanoarchitected,” Portela explained. “The same amount of mass of our material would be much more efficient at stopping a projectile than the same amount of mass of Kevlar.”

Modeling Impact with Planetary Science Techniques

Interestingly, the researchers discovered that the impact and resulting damage were best modeled using methodologies typically employed to analyze meteor impacts on planetary surfaces.

Future Implications and Scalability

While this represents an initial laboratory finding, and tetrakaidecahedronal flak jackets aren’t imminent, the experiment clearly demonstrates the promise of this innovative approach. Successful large-scale manufacturing could unlock applications across numerous industries.

Publication Details

The findings of this study have been published in the journal Nature Materials.

Further research will focus on optimizing the material’s properties and developing scalable production methods.