It may sound crazy, but scientists in China have just created a material that is seven times lighter than air. It now holds the record for being the lightest material in the world. That might not sound like much, but the industrial applications for such a material are pretty huge.
The material is called graphene aerogel, and it is so light that it can be balanced on the top of a flower.
share
Researchers believe that graphene aeroge could be an extremely handy material for cleaning up oil spills because it can absorb up to 900 times its own weight.
share
They envision a future where graphene aeroge can be deployed to an oil spill, absorb as much oil as it can, then be squeezed out and deployed again.
share
The material could even eventually be used as insulation, and in the creation of lighter, more powerful batteries.
share
H/T: Extreme Tech
Leave it to China to create something this crazy (and awesome). I can’t wait to see what else researchers can make from this material. I would certainly be in favor of something a little more effective to clean up oil spills.
