Tiny Layered Materials Make Ultra-Light Bulletproof Armor

The key is alternating layers made from materials with different abilities. Making better body armor doesn’t have to be about adding bulk--it’s about smart layering. A new composite material, made of tiny alternating layers a few nanometers thick, is lighter than other impact-resistant shielding material--and the process the materials scientists developed to study it could lead to even better versions in the future. Researchers at MIT and in France developed a new self-assembling p...