The chinese scientists have created a durable and resilient metamaterial from graphene airgel. Having pressed the bricks from the reduced graphene oxide gel, the researchers obtained a material that withstood a compressive pressure of 47 megapascals, a strain of more than 97 percent, a high electrical conductivity and resistance to temperatures up to 750 degrees Celsius.

At the first stage of the synthesis, the researchers intensively mixed graphene oxide in the water to form a foam with a large number of air microbubbles. Then graphene oxide was restored and there was formed a gel with bubbles up to one hundred micrometers. Finally, in order to form the connecting channels penetrating the material, the authors of the work first froze and then melted the gel.

The authors of the article, published in Advanced Functional Materials, argue that the number of constituent parts of the metamaterial has no upper limit and it can serve as a building material for large-scale structures.