Even the best locks and doors are little more than a snag for a motivated person with the right tools. However, engineers at Durham University and the Fraunhofer Institute have created the first synthetic material that can block even the most determined intruders. The researchers claim that the material, known as Proteus, cannot be cut. In fact, it is so strong that it destroys any tool that tries to cut it.
Natural materials like diamond and sapphire are strong due to the dense network of atomic bonds, but they are inflexible. With the right tools (also made of diamond), you can cut and fracture a diamond. But Proteus is inspired by a very different natural source: seashells.
Proteus is a combination of ceramic spheres suspended within a flexible cellular aluminum frame, making it only 15 percent as dense as steel. The shells of sea creatures often have a similar composition with layers of calcium carbonate suspended in a soft organic structure. In the same way that a shell can dull teeth or claws, Proteus dulls tools.
Proteus is not designed to be invulnerable – the tools will harm you, but it will further harm the tools. The researchers were unable to drill Proteus with drills, angle grinders and similar devices. You can see the material being consumed in a grinder in the video below until it’s just a piece. Proteus is even resistant to high power water jets: As the material deforms, curved ceramic surfaces weaken the water stream to prevent further damage.
The key to removing the tools is the ceramic balls. The outer shell is designed to yield, but the ceramic spheres inside vibrate when tools try to wear them down. This vibration grinds the cutting edges until they can no longer advance. The particles that come off the spheres also harden into the aluminum “foam” and further reduce progress. Lead author Stefan Szyniszewski says it’s like trying to cut “jelly filled with nuggets.”
The team sees Proteus as an ideal choice for protective gear and construction materials. It could provide a barrier against accidental damage and tools without the mass of traditional materials (usually metal). It can also appear in locks and safes that resist sawing, drilling and other forms of cutting; The perfect home for the most paranoid among us to store valuable items.
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