Graphene used in bulletproof vests and hydrogen fuel cells

Graphene is being called the material of the future and its use extends to batteries, fuel cells and even bulletproof vests and other clothing. While graphene is a wonder material, time has to pass before we can see it used in daily life. Graphene is made in strips and is currently the world’s thinnest and strongest material at the same time. We have already seen graphene being used in batteries as an effective and durable alternative to lithium, but it seems its qualities qualify graphene for use in body armor and bulletproof clothing and objects.

Graphene is one of the few materials in the world that can conduct heat and electricity, while resisting rust and damage and have great optical and mechanical properties. In consequence, graphene is the material of the future which can be used to create lightweight armor, batteries, fuel cells and many other useful things. Scientists at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst have performed ballistic tests with graphene, proving that the material is twice as effective as Kevlar, what we generally use to make bulletproof vests nowadays, being very lightweight at the same time.

Researchers say that while graphene suffers some damage in ballistic tests, they could improve that flaw in the future by combining it with other materials. They also discovered that graphene was permeable to protons, which makes improving fuel-cell technology or harvesting hydrogen from the atmosphere entirely possible. Since graphene is impermeable to everything save for protons, that means that hydrogen fuel cells could be made much more efficient, erasing the risk of fuel leaking.

Regarding the harvesting of hydrogen from the atmosphere using graphene, scientists say that they might be able to use the hydrogen extracted from the atmosphere as an almost unlimited source of electricity, solving a lot of the problems we have. They haven’t mentioned anything about how this would damage the atmosphere, though. In any case, the research into the various properties and uses of graphene is still in its infancy, so a few years will certainly pass before we’ll be putting hydrogen fuel cells into our machinery or cops wearing graphene bulletproof vests.