“The world’s lightest material”
Boeing has released a video showcasing its revolutionary metal microlattice — an innovation that could revolutionize the whole transportation industry.
1000 times thinner than a human hair – 100 times lighter than Styrofoam
The microlattice is a “3D open-cellular polymer structure” and is made up of interconnecting hollow tubes whose outer walls measure just one-1,000th the width of a human hair. So light it can be balanced on the top of a dandelion seed head, the material weighs in at approximately 100 times lighter than Styrofoam – making it the lightest and also one of the strongest materials known to science. It’s indeed the structure of the material that makes it incredibly durable.
The material has been made primarily for use in aerospace engineering. Engineers intend to use the microlattice for plane interiors where it could be used for wall or floor panels as well as in airplane wings to save weight and make aircraft more fuel efficient. This would make the plane dramatically cheaper to run.
The ultra-thin material capable of absorbing large amounts of energy throughout its structure could also be used in applications including insulation, heat exchange devices, catalytic converters and even to develop artificial organs, such as lungs.
