Aerogels are incredibly light, so the record holder aerographene, possesses a density of only 0.16 mg/cm3. Currently, aerogels are used for insulation, tennis racquets, etc., as a tail sample for comets that control oil spills and are collected using the NASA Stardust mission. Unfortunately, although it is fleeting, it is very solid and it can be hardened by pressing it down, so its use is limited.
A new material aerogel developed by the LLNL team at MIT, but it is a metamaterial. The artificial material properties are not found in nature. The idea is a structure, so the aerogel is light but strong. The power of new materials comes from their geometry, not their chemical composition.
The new material is a form of projection 3D printing technology using projection microlithography technology. Working on a microscopic level, it can create highly complex, three-dimensional microstructures layer by layer very quickly and easily for molding. It includes a tank polymer that projects a beam of UV light, a responsive hydrogel, a shape memory polymer, and a biomaterial that uses digital finite-technologies in a form similar to the shape layer that creates the microchip.
Projective microlithography operates on a very small scale, allowing the formation of "microlattices," much like trusses and girders. Manufacturing materials can even switch. According to the team, it can be applied to many different materials, including polymers, metals, and ceramics. This is exactly what the team uses.