The 'wonder material' graphene could be used to make better bulletproof armour as it can withstand the impact of a bullet ten times as well as steel, scientists say.

Researchers at Rice University, US, have demonstrated that graphene is better able to withstand the impact of a bullet than either steel or Kevlar, the material currently used in bullet-proof vests.

They set up a miniature firing range in their laboratory and used it to test the strength of graphene sheets.

Scientists have yet to figure out a way to mass produce sheets of graphene in large sizes, thus, for this experiment, the researchers confined their efforts to a very small scale.

Their firing range consisted of using a laser to vaporise gold filaments to serve as the gunpowder, Phys.Org reported.

The explosion pushed micron-sized glass bullets at graphene targets - 10 to 100 sheets placed together to form a mat - at speeds up to 6,700 mph (approximately a third of the speed of a real bullet).

Electron microscopy was used to measure how well the graphene sheets absorbed the impact.

The researchers found that the sheets were able to dissipate the energy of the bullet by stretching backwards - sort of like when someone jumps on a trampoline. Tiny cracks also formed radially, using up more of the energy.

They found that the graphene was able to perform twice as well as Kevlar, the material currently used in bullet-proof vests, and up to ten times as well as steel.

The graphene was able to absorb approximately 0.92MJ/kg of projectile energy, while steel can typically absorb 0.08MJ/kg when both are being tested at similar speeds.

The study was published in the journal Science.