Bulletproof Vests Become Obsolete: Scientists Create Material Ten Times Stronger Than Kevlar

Researchers at Delft University of Technology have developed a new material that is ten times stronger than Kevlar. Its strength is comparable to that of graphene and diamonds.

Kevlar has long been a reliable material for protection against wear and abrasion, especially in bulletproof vests and helmets. The new substance—amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC)—promises a revolution not only in protective gear but also in the world of microchips.

Associate Professor Richard Norte, who led the project, explains that “amorphous” refers to the random arrangement of atoms, unlike the ordered structure found in crystalline materials like diamonds. This feature does not make the material brittle; on the contrary, it gives it a strength of 10 gigapascals (GPa).

Norte offers an example to illustrate this figure: to break a strip of tape with a strength of 10 GPa, you would need to hang ten cars from it.

But strength is not the only advantage. Amorphous silicon carbide is also suitable for creating sensitive microchips, thanks to its mechanical properties.

The scientists used a new on-chip testing method to study the potential of a-SiC. This technology allowed them to create high tensile forces by growing films of amorphous silicon carbide and suspending them.

The developed material is easy to scale up, unlike the expensive production of graphene and diamonds. Amorphous silicon carbide could find applications in space exploration, DNA sequencing, sensitive microchips, and solar panels.

“Amorphous silicon carbide opens up new horizons for microchip research,” says Norte.