Other than diamond I can't think of a less toxic substance than tungsten carbide (WC, an interstitial cmpd)! It can be considered as a close packed arrangement of W atoms with the C atoms in all the octahedral interstices (holes) in the lattice ("would that be a covalent, polar covalent, or an ionic W-C bond sir?" ;)) W is already the highest melting metal (as in filament lamps) but the C atoms strengthen the lattice further. It is second only to diamond in terms of hardness, it is high melting, and chemically inert. It finds extensive use in drilling tools and, interestingly, in armor piercing bullets. I have not heard of it being used as bullet proofing material. It is probably very difficult to fabricate and it is probably quite dense. Cheers, drp
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