Lighter naval ships made of aluminum foam
I can’t believe this is so hard to find on Google. Someone sent me a documentary video (in Portuguese – unfortunately – but, if you understand German, the creators of this idea speak in their native language) and i can find hardly any references to this online.
It’s basically about using a special aluminum powder that, when heated, transforms into a foam that is – check it out – lighter than water. Yes, imagine ships 30% lighter, that can carry many many more tons of materials. Less trips = less pollution = win/win 
Here’s a link to a 1998 paper about this.
I wonder if this technology is already in use in today’s ships and, if not, why?
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Categorised as: environment, findings, good news, science, technology
Check out http://www.cymat.com – aluminum foam has been around for a long time but is still considered 'bleeding edge' technology. In short, organizations want to thoroughly test it before commiting huge investments for it use.