Resembling the interlocking links in chainmail, novel nanoscale material is incredibly strong and flexible. The interlocked material contains 100 trillion mechanical bonds per 1 square centimeter -- the highest density of mechanical bonds ever achieved. Small amounts of the mechanically interlocked polymer added to Ultem fibers increased the high-performance material's toughness.

Researchers unveiled a super-strong nanoscale material made from the first two-dimensional mechanically interlocked polymers. The material resembles medieval chainmail at the molecular level and could be used in body armor.