Architects are constantly looking for materials that can enhance their projects by making them stronger, faster to build, more energy efficient or environmentally friendly. In this article we focus on the top lightest and strongest materials on earth and the way they can be incorporated into a building.
Carbyne
One of the oldest materials on this list is Carbyne which was first proposed by Adolf von Baeyer in 1885. It is twice as stiff as graphene and is created through strings of carbon chains.
Aerographite
Unlike carbyne, aerographite is a synthetic foam that can be produced in a variety of shapes and has a high density of 180 grams per cubic meter. It currently has not been tested in the field of architecture, however, it has been suggested as a material that will help to clean oil spills.
Aerographene (Aerogel)
Seven times lighter than air and 12 % lighter than aerographite, aerographene also known as aerogel has become the world's lightest material. The material is created using a sol-gel process so the solution of graphene and carbon nano tubes are poured into a mould and then freeze dried. Currently the material is proposed as an efficient method to clean up oil spills but we can expect to see it infiltrate architecture soon enough.
Metallic Microlattice
The material was first introduced in 2011 and since then has been experimented with to see if it can be further optimized to provide increased strength. The material was inspired by the structure of human bones and is made up of interconnected tubes that are 99.99% holo. Currently scientists are exploring the viability of using this material for future space missions since it would make the departure lighter.
Limpet Teeth
While for years the world's strongest natural material was spider silk, it is now claimed by the teeth of limpets. While studies are still determining the exact composition responsible for its strength, an article in the Royal Society's journal interface suggests that the strength is because of its tightly packed mineral fibres. The aim is to combine the fibres into man-made composites to create stronger structures.
3D Graphene
Researchers at MIT have successfully turned two-dimensional graphene into a 3D structure that is now believed to be even stronger than its 2D counterpart. The material which is made from pure carbon has 5 percent the density of steel and is approximately 10 times as strong as steel. The only issue that is currently posing a problem with graphene is that despite demonstrating an abundance of strength, graphene is expensive. This is why researchers are continuing to work on ways to enhance its value by increasing its strength.
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Source: inhabitat&BBC | cover photo © unsplash
FAQs
3D Graphene
Researchers at MIT have successfully turned two-dimensional graphene into a 3D structure that is now believed to be even stronger than its 2D counterpart. The material which is made from pure carbon has 5 percent the density of steel and is approximately 10 times as strong as steel.
What is the lightest material on earth? ›
Graphene Aerogel is the world's lightest material that only weighs 0.16 milligrams per cubic centimeter.
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Graphene Aerogel Is The World's New Lightest Material.
| Invention | Graphene Aerogel |
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| Further Information | Daily Mail |
3 more rowsScientists in Vienna have successfully created a stable form of carbyne, the world's strongest material. Carbyne is a linear acetylenic carbon – an infinitely long carbon chain. It can be considered as a one-dimensional allotrope of carbon.
What are lightweight building materials? ›
Lightweight | Building Supplies
- Concrete Mix.
- Roof Panels.
- Plywood.
- Dimensional Lumber.
- OSB.
- Studs.
Below are the 10 strongest materials known to man:
- Graphene. One-atom-thick sheets of carbon are 200 times stronger than steel.
- Buckypaper. ...
- Metallic Glass. ...
- Dyneema. ...
- Lonsdaleite. ...
- Wurtzite Boron Nitride. ...
- Diamond. ...
- Nanospheres / Nano-Kevlar. ...
Porous, 3-D forms of graphene developed at MIT can be 10 times as strong as steel but much lighter.
What is the lightest strongest fabric? ›
No wonder then, they use Dyneema to make the packs. It is, after all, world's strongest fabric that is said by manufacturers to be 15 times stronger than steel. It has been used to stop bullets, repair human joints, moor oil rigs and make really, really, light waterproof jackets.
What's the world's lightest solid? ›
neither liquid nor gas, aerogels are a material that lies between these two states. they are the world's lightest solids, containing 99.8% air, and make for surprisingly great thermal insulators.
What are the 5 hardest earth materials? ›
Related
- Diamond. Unmatched in its ability to resist being scratched, this much-loved gemstone ranks the highest in terms of hardness. ...
- Graphene. ...
- Spider silk. ...
- Carbon/carbon composite. ...
- Silicon carbide. ...
- Nickel-based super-alloys.
Steel is the second strongest and the most widely used metal in the world. It's an alloy of iron and carbon and contains small amounts of manganese, sulfur, oxygen phosphorus and silicon. It is considered an essential metal in engineering and construction and one of the most recycled metals.
Graphene. At last: a hexagonal carbon lattice that is only a single atom thick. A sheet of graphene is arguably the most revolutionary material to be developed and utilized in the 21st century.
What are the examples of lightweight materials? ›
With the advent of the 20th century, improved lightweight materials such as aluminum, magnesium, beryllium, titanium, titanium aluminides, engi- neering plastics, structural ceramics, and composites with polymer, metal, and ceramic matrices began to appear.
What is a lightweight design? ›
Lightweight design can be defined as “the science and the art of making things—parts, products, structures—as light as possible, within constraints”.
What are lightweight structures? ›
Lightweight materials are in numerous commercial buildings and structures. These lightweight materials use bonded fibers, membrane, cable, shell, or folded structural systems. Applications include buildings with long-span roofs such as stadiums or exhibition structures.
Which building material is strongest by weight? ›
The Strongest Building Material
Indeed, steel has a strength-to-weight ratio 25 times greater than wood, which highlights the common misconception that a steel structure will be very heavy.
What is the lightest but strongest metal? ›
Magnesium Alloys. We left this particularly strong metal alloy for last. And for good reason, scientists are still experimenting with various magnesium alloys to create new alloys. This has already been termed the strongest and lightest metal there is.
What is the thinnest and strongest material? ›
Graphene is a single-atomic-layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. The unprecedented features of graphene make it the thinnest and strongest material ever created. Graphene is the basic structural element of carbon allotropes such as graphite, charcoal, and diamonds.
