Fiber

​Kevlar may be in for some competition. Scientists at MIT have developed new polyethylene nanofibers that are both strong and tough, and that could someday be used in applications such as less-bulky body armor.

One small internet service provider is giving Google Fiber a run for its money, but offering connections with ten times as much speed. US Internet, based in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka, announced this week that it has begun rolling out 10 gigabit per second internet access.

Scientists at the Fudan University in Shanghai, China, have developed a high-performance Li-ion battery made of carbon nanotube fiber yarns. Roughly one 1 mm in diameter, the battery yarn is lightweight enough to create weaveable and wearable textile batteries that could power various devices

A supercapacitor composed of graphene and carbon nanotubes flexible enough to be woven into clothing and potentially powerful enough to offer a real alternative to batteries for use in portable devices has been developed.

Usually when you hear about wood being used in a car's interior, it's a fancy solid hardwood used to class up the dashboard. On Ford's 2014 Lincoln MKX, however, a relatively new wood-based composite material will be used in place of heavier, less eco-friendly fiberglass.

As evidenced by our friend carbon fiber, composite materials get a big boost in strength when fibers are part of the recipe. This concept has been taken to a funky new level, by using shredded old blue jeans to create a denim fiber composite known as Denimite.

Researchers have created bricks that contain sheep’s wool and a polymer derived from seaweed.