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New "Metallic Wood" Is As Strong As Titanium But Much Lighter (dwell.com)
Titanium "has long been touted as the metal of the future," writes Dwell, "due to its strength, rust resistance, and amazing lightness." But can careful atom-stacking lead to something better?
An anonymous reader writes: Researchers have discovered a way to create a new "metallic wood" material that is as strong as titanium, but five times lighter, reports Dwell. "So far, the researchers have built a sheet of nickel with nanoscale pores that is almost 70 percent empty space... It was created by building tiny plastic spheres, suspending them in water, allowing the water to evaporate, and then electroplating the spheres with nickel. Researchers then dissolved the plastic spheres, producing an incredibly strong, porous metal that floats on water."
Researchers are also considering the possibility of filling its empty space with an energy-storing material. "For example, a prosthetic leg made from this material and infused with anode and cathode materials, could also be a battery."
An anonymous reader writes: Researchers have discovered a way to create a new "metallic wood" material that is as strong as titanium, but five times lighter, reports Dwell. "So far, the researchers have built a sheet of nickel with nanoscale pores that is almost 70 percent empty space... It was created by building tiny plastic spheres, suspending them in water, allowing the water to evaporate, and then electroplating the spheres with nickel. Researchers then dissolved the plastic spheres, producing an incredibly strong, porous metal that floats on water."
Researchers are also considering the possibility of filling its empty space with an energy-storing material. "For example, a prosthetic leg made from this material and infused with anode and cathode materials, could also be a battery."
Just need to make some FTL engines
"But can careful atom-stacking lead to something better? " - OBVIOUSLY? Regardless of any other factor of course. Aligned structures >strength> unaligned random structures. This isn't rocket science, this is a basic crystal lattice.
Metal sponges are already a thing, only difference between this material and existing metal sponges is the pore size and creation method. This method described is somewhat similar to the way that aerogels are produced. These metal sponges aren't like wood...wood is a composite that derives much of its strength from its fibrous grain.
When did measures like "five times lighter" and "100 times smaller" become accepted? Comparisons don't work that way...
Nobody actually suggested using nickel internally...they mentioned its possible use when constructing an artificial leg. Presumably it would be used inside the prosthesis, not within the body or in direct contact with it.
Nickel is an essential nutrient. Without it, you'd be quite dead. Large quantities of it may be dangerous, but as Paracelsus pointed out: "It's the dose that makes the poison", and that's pretty much true of everything that's good for you.
Just what we need, prosthetic legs spontaneously catching on fire.
We TOTALLY need that. Think of the youtube videos....
Metallic foam is already well understood.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
https://www.tms.org/pubs/journ...
(see especially Figure 4 on that page which REALLY looks like metallic wood; the stuff in the article doesn't so much)
What makes the the linked article interesting is the novel manufacturing method.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
This looks like the micro/nano version of making a pseudo-foam metal by casting in salts and later dissolving the salts.
Laminated between sheets of metal, I'd expect this to kick ass.
I can't remember the last time one of these sorts of PR articles from a University research lab actually made me think it might mean something.
The idea behind this is solid (BTW, is this comparable in a general way to aerogels ?), it's a matter of finding a scalable manufacturing method.
Absolute statements are never true
I took the trouble to actually look at some internet sources on nickel. It's common in foods, and people typically ingest about 200 micrograms a day, probably a lot more than is needed and a lot less than is toxic. Knowledge of the human biological use of nickel is still rather sparse, but it appears to help the body absorb iron and create prolactin, among other things.
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I skimmed the second citation. I may have missed a critical portion, but it looks like they're using a nickel-rhenium alloy. Rhenium is rare in the earth (about 1 part per billion) and not cheap.
They're not going to be using this stuff to make car bodies or skyscrapers.
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I'm stealing that title for my Robocop fanfic.
On a more serious note: won't the tiny plastic spheres embedded in the electroplated metals be a giant source of microplastics and turn into an environmental disaster during the recycling process?
The perfect material for ultra light ultralights.... imagine how much less they'll weight....
At the more raucous parties back in the day, we'd joke about someone's leg being on fire and then douse it with whatever beverage we were drinking. If this material were used for prosthetic purposes, the gag could become reality. A lithium fueled amputation wouldn't be pleasant, though, I'd expect.
Hmmm, do you have a background in O-Chem?