Carbon, they’re said to be tough as steel, and light as a feather. To date they’ve strengthened other materials, can claim they’ve taken part in creating the world’s lightest materials. But now, there’s another new ‘feature’ to be added to this very awesome element, and it’s regarding “lightest material”. Yes, that department.

University of Florida has managed to create a new aerogel with carbon, which has a density of four milligrams per cubic centimetre. It can detect pollutants and toxins, for example, or be integrated into electronics to make them lighter and more insulated. Try implement this in real world, and this could be very world-changing scenarios. I foresee car manufacturers starting to develop prototypes with this new material. Fully carbon F430? Meh!

To develop this new “Ultralight Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Aerogel”, the researchers started with a “wet gel” comprised of a “well-dispersed pristine MWCNT” and used that to create a honeycomb structure that was only 100 nanometers thick. The final result and transformative process is shown in the image up top, while a more complete explanation is available in the ACS link below.

[ACS via Engadget]