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"  Tougher than some forms of steel and lighter than water, a new material exceeds the strength-to-weight ratio of many other construction materials. Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany used an advanced Nanoscribe 3D printer to construct tiny aluminum oxide\u2013coated polymer structures, each 40 microns tall, or about the diameter of a human hair. When compressed, they can withstand up to 40,611 psi of pressure, compared with stainless steel&amp;#039;s 30,458 psi. The material derives its Superman-like quality from its architecture: a honeycomb lattice inspired by the porous cellular structures that make wood and bone strong despite their light weight. If the researchers can find a way to scale up the production process, the microengineered material could prove useful in airplanes, spacecraft, and any other application where strength is important but weight is costly.    Aluminum Oxide Cubes  STRENGTH: HIGH (40,611 psi) DENSITY: LOW (50.6 lb/ft3) STRENGTH-TO-WEIGHT RATIO: 803    Titanium Alloy STRENGTH: HIGH (140,687 psi) DENSITY: HIGH (277 lb/ft3) STRENGTH-TO-WEIGHT RATIO: 509    Stainless Steel STRENGTH: HIGH (30,458 psi) DENSITY: HIGH (499 lb/ft3) STRENGTH-TO-WEIGHT RATIO: 61    Concrete STRENGTH: HIGH (3000 psi) DENSITY: HIGH (150 lb/ft3) STRENGTH-TO-WEIGHT RATIO: 20    Styrofoam STRENGTH: LOW (22 psi) DENSITY: LOW (1.25 lb/ft3) STRENGTH-TO-WEIGHT RATIO: 17 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a10394/the-new-3d-printed-construction-supermaterial-16718268/>