Turn Your Cotton T-Shirt Into Wearable Armor!

Ever wondered why superheroes always wear clothing that looks a little rigid and uncomfortable? It's probably because it is based on current protective gear, which is hard and inflexible. Now scientists may have come up with an ingenious solution that turns ordinary cotton t-shirts into extra-ordinary protective gear, without changing the texture.

Researchers at the University of South Carolina, took ordinary cotton t-shirts and dipped them into a solution of a chemical called Boron. The wet t-shirts were then placed inside an oven. When the heat interacted with the cotton fibers, it turned them into carbon fibers, which in turn reacted with the boron solution and turned into Boron Carbide, the third hardest known substance known to mankind, after Cubic Boron Nitride and Diamond.

While the resulting fabric was not as soft as the original cotton t-shirt, it was much lighter and more flexible and, provided the same amount of protection as the currently available bulletproof vests. As an added bonus, the hardened t-shirts also blocked out harmful ultraviolet rays.

While this is exciting news for soldiers and the police force, the scientists believe that the breakthrough technology could also be used to manufacture cars and airplanes that are lightweight and therefore much more fuel efficient. Pretty cool, isn't it?

sources: gizmag.com, ecouterre.com