Researchers from universities in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Cambridge have developed a unique material – “metal wood”, which is durable as titanium, and at the same time does not drown in water, like a tree.
“Metal wood” was created in several stages. At first, scientists placed tiny plastic balls with a diameter of several hundred nanometers in water, after which they evaporated the liquid. As a result, the balls formed in an orderly structure. The next stage is the galvanic coating of the balls with a layer of nickel. And in the end – the dissolution of the plastic spheres with a chemical agent, as a result of which only a nickel lattice remains.
About 70 % of the material obtained are voids. However, the low density is not the only thing that “relates” it with the wood.
Currently, scientists are required about a day to manufacture a fragment of “metal wood” the size of a postal brand. If you develop a technology for obtaining material on an industrial scale —great prospects for its use are opening up.
For example, architects could use it when designing buildings with a new ratio of strength and weight, and manufacturers of electronics could cover them with devices, providing them with additional strength without increasing the mass. It is possible that even cars that fully meet security standards may appear, but extremely light.
Source — The Philadelphia Inquirer