Submission + - Danish Scientists MakeTupperware Bulletproof Vests
SoyChemist writes: The Wired Science blog has a report about a new bulletproof material that is made from polyethylene, the same polymer that grocery bags and laundry baskets are made from. Dynema is an extremely high molecular weight variety of the common plastic. It has been used for about fifteen years in bulletproof fabrics. Apparently, researchers at DSM were able to hack the manufacturing process and squeeze a lot more performance out of it. It has a higher strength to weight ratio than Kevlar and will not decompose in a humid environment like the Zylon bulletproof vests that were recently recalled after a police officer was injured when his vest failed to stop a bullet. On a side note, slashdot should really have a materials science topic.
