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I somewhat doubt that nanomachines are involved in the creation of Barrier Jackets. As we can see from the binding spells of Yuuno in the first series, mages seem to be capable of creating effects that appear to be solid (capable of appearing to break) without the use of an intelligent device.
Edit: Couldn't the following also serve as an alternative?
Mythology is filled with references to objects that should not be able to withstand forces that they should not be able to. Two instances that come to mind are the Nemean (I think that's how you spell it) Lion slain by Hercules, and magical properties of the blood of the dragon Fafnir. All of Hercules' weapons failed to penetrate the skin of the Nemean Lion, and the blood of Fafnir conferred invulnerability to every part of Sigurd's body that it touched.
If we look at magic as the process of bringing substances into being, it is quite possible that barrier jacket is merely the product of specialized magic. It is also possible that the creation is merely the harnessing and transmutation of nearby substances and energy into a physical form. If we say that there is a natural order (as one could infer from the insane amount of scientific knowledge) it is quite possible that the apparent "dissolving" or "bursting" of barrier jackets is simply the energy and substance drawn upon returning to its original place.
In this case, the intelligent device serves the role of managing and maintaining the use of energy according to the instructions/programming inherent in its being. The device has a certain form of the barrier jacket imprinted into it upon initial activation (perhaps by user), and it continues to use that form until the instructions are altered.
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