Ultralight Metallic MicrolatticeA new material so light it can sit atop a fluffy dandelion has been invented. Styrofoam is 100 times heavier than the new material, which the research team, comprising scientists at UC Irvine, HRL Laboratories and Caltech, say in the peer-reviewed November 18 issue of Science is the lightest material on earth.The material, called ‘’ultralight metallic microlattice’’, consists of 99.99 per cent air, thanks to its ‘’microlattice’’ cellular architecture.The trick is to fabricate a lattice of interconnected hollow tubes with a wall thickness 1000 times thinner than a human hair, lead author Tobias Shandler of HRL said.It is made out of 90 per cent nickel, but Bill Carter, manager of the Architected Materials Group at HRL, said it could be made out of other materials.AdvertisementIts uses are still to be determined. Lorenzo Valdevit, UCI’s principal investigator on the project, brought up impact protection, uses in the aerospace industry, acoustic dampening and maybe some battery applications.

Magnetic Thinking PuttyLike any other putty, it can be stretched, bounced, molded, popped, and torn. However, when this putty is in the presence of a magnetic field, it exhibits fascinating properties.Millions of tiny micron-sized magnets are embedded in each handful of Magnetic Thinking Putty. Use the included super-strong neodymium iron boron cube magnet to control the putty like a snake charmer. Or “charge” the blob of putty so it can become a magnet of its own and pick up small tacks and paperclips.Magnetic Thinking Putty is infused with millions of micron-sized (one-millionth of a meter) magnetic particles. These particles are what give Magnetic Thinking Putty its strange attraction properties.It’s tougher than the thermochromatic kinds. This is a great way to explore the properties of magnetism.

BlingCreteBlingCrete combines the positive properties of concrete (fireproof, strength, construction technology) with the property of retroreflection. Retroreflective surfaces precisely reflect incident light (sunlight or artificial light) back towards the light source.The BlingCrete surface is according to its position, activated by light from both the light source and the recipient. At any given moment the reflection effect can become perceptible, and the concrete switches from a passive to an active state.The properties of BlingCrete open up wide-ranging design possibilities in architecture, interior design, product design and traffic-safety related areas. Potential applications include the permanent marking of dangerous areas (stairs, curbs, platform edges, tunnel passages) for safety purposes as well as the design of structurally-integrated guiding systems and new surface components (facade, floor, ceiling).

Titanium foamsMetals are the oldest of biomedical implant materials and metallic alloys remain the material of choice for applications involving hard tissue replacement. Ti alloy scaffolds are deemed the best among all the metallic alloys. Recently, porous Ti alloy scaffolds have received increasing attention over other metallic counterparts, including monolithic alloys, due to advantages associated with an open porous structure. The main advantages of open porous structures are a low Young’s moduli and enhanced bone ingrowth leading to better fixation with the host tissue. In this paper, the authors first review the suitability of Ti for biomedical applications and then explore the methods for producing highly porous Ti foams. The methods are assessed based on their ability to produce a macro-micro-structure appropriate for biomedical applications. The article concludes with a future outlook on porous Ti production.