Engineers at the University of California, Los Angeles, used a combination of ceramic silicon carbide nanoparticles and magnesium. The new metal boasts a stiffness-to-weight ratio that far surpasses other strong metals that engineers have reliably used for generations. The metal is also capable of absorbing and withstanding high heat without having its integrity altered.

Nanoparticles are a tiny speck of any material, just 1 to 100 nanometer in size, or a billionth of a meter—which is barely visible to the naked eye. When the material is scaled down to such a small size, its physical and chemical properties change. In this case, the silicon carbide nanoparticles were infused into a molten magnesium zinc. Silicon carbide is the hard ceramic material used for cutting blades. This “nanocomposite” metal is made up of approximately 14 percent silicon carbide and 86 percent magnesium by weight.