Ultralight material facts for kids
Ultralight materials are super light substances. Think of them as materials that are mostly empty space, filled with air! This makes them incredibly light. Some examples include special types of silica and carbon nanotube aerogels, which are like very light gels, and different kinds of metallic and polymeric foams. There are also metallic microlattices, which are like tiny, intricate structures.
The main reason these materials are so light is because they have lots of tiny holes, or pores, filled with air. Air itself is very light, with a density of about 1.275 milligrams per cubic centimeter. So, when a material has a lot of air inside it, its overall density becomes much lower.
The Lightest Material Ever
In 2011, scientists created the lightest material known at that time. It's made from a tiny, microscopic structure called a micro-lattice. Imagine a criss-cross pattern of hollow tubes, with lots of open spaces between them.
How Light Is It?
This amazing material is incredibly light. Researchers said it's 100 times lighter than Styrofoam! Even though it's so light, it's also very strong. Its density is super low, only 0.9 milligrams per cubic centimeter. To give you an idea, silica aerogels, which were known as the world's lightest solid materials, are still a bit heavier at 1.0 milligrams per cubic centimeter.
The metallic micro-lattice is mostly air – about 99.99% air and only 0.01% solid material! The metal used to make this tiny structure is nickel.
Making It So Light
One of the scientists, Tobias Schaedler, explained how they did it. He said, "The trick is to make a lattice of connected hollow tubes with walls that are only 100 nanometers thick." To put that in perspective, 100 nanometers is 1,000 times thinner than a single human hair!
Bouncy and Strong
This special material isn't just light; it also has some cool elastic properties. This means it can bounce back to its original shape after being squashed. When you press on it, the tiny tubes get squashed, but they spring back when the pressure is removed. If you squash a sample of this material to half its original height, it will rebound by 98% once you let go! This makes it similar to elastomers, which are materials used to absorb shock and provide cushioning.
