Aerographite takes title of world’s lightest material
Less than a year ago, the lightest structural material in the world was announced… a metallic lattice of tiny nickel tubes. Now, it’s been beaten by something half a dense.
Though mostly air, the material can not only be compressed by a factor of 1,000 and still spring back to its original shape, but can also support many times its own weight. Amazingly the material is also electrically conducive and chemically-resistant; with researchers indicating that aerographite could be either used as electrical shielding, help create an ultra-lightweight battery or be used elsewhere in MEMS (micro-electromechancial systems).
Seems fairly structurally soft, though… no building airplane wings out of it.