The CCLRC (Council for the Central Laboratory for the Research Councils) runs a number of laboratories including Daresbury, Rutherford Appleton and Chilbolton Observatory. Daresbury has run a research project in tandem with US universities to improve the versatility of body armour through the application of nanoparticles.
Current body armour relies on a stiff and relatively heavy layer of ceramic material to absorb ballistic impact.
This makes body armour heavy and unwieldy.
The CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory team are evaluating new nanocomposite materials, which can be woven into fabrics to provide greater flexibility as well as better ballistic protection.
They are working together with researchers from Tuskegee and Florida Atlantic universities in the USA.
The scientists have found that incorporating spherical nanoparticles of silicon or titanium dioxide or carbon nanotubes in a plastic or epoxy matrix offers improved ballistic resistance together with greatly improved flexibility.
Another use for Carbon Nanotubes.