Body armour given added resilience with silicon

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Body armour could be made more impact resistant by adding silicon to boron carbide, a material commonly used for making items such as ballistic vests.

The study by researchers at Texas A&M University has been published in Science Advances.

"For the past 12 years, researchers have been looking for ways to reduce the damage caused by the impact of high-speed bullets on armour made with boron carbide," said Dr Kelvin Xie, assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. "Our work finally addresses this unmet need and is a step forward in designing superior body armour that will safeguard against even more powerful firearms during combat."

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Dubbed ‘black diamond,’ boron carbide ranks second below cubic boron nitride for hardness. Unlike cubic boron nitride, boron carbide is said to be easier to produce on a large scale and is harder and lighter than other armour materials like silicon carbide, making it well-suited for ballistic vests and other items of armour.

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