Battle Royal: 13 of the World's Strongest Materials

Overall the strength of any material by its tensor strength or the resistive power of any material before breaking under continuous pressure. Tensile strengths have dimensions of force per unit area.

Do you know what the strongest material is on the planet? Well, today is your lucky day. The following list is some of the strongest materials on the planet  

Human Bones

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The first material is closer than you think. Though the bones in the body are not the strongest materials on this list, they are still really durable.

There is probably a good chance that you have broken your bones at some point, but your bones serve many functions that include the production of white blood cells and storage of crucial minerals for your body.  

Silicon Carbide

As stated in its name, silicon carbide is a semiconductor made of carbon and silicon, occurring naturally in the mineral moissanite. Currently, the material is used across the automotive industry in electric appliances and in astronomy.

Cupronickel

Comprised of nickel, iron, manganese, and copper, cupronickel is a material with high resistance to corrosion and macrofouling, thermal conductivity, and strong tensile strength. The high corrosion resistance material is used a lot in the shipping industry to build hulls and the propellers of small fishing boats.

Titanium Alloys

Titanium alloys are used across multiple industries, including sports cars, commercial airplanes, missiles, and rockets. Industries and products like these need durable and lightweight materials to increase their performance.

Titanium alloys are very resistant to corrosion. However, due to the production costs, these materials are only used in high-end industries.

 Spider Silk 

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Spider silk is one of the strongest naturally occurring materials on the Earth. As you probably already know, spiders use webs to catch prey and protect their offspring.

Though the strength of spider silk varies from species to species, spider silk is almost as strong as premium quality steel and is half the strength of Kevlar.

Glass Fiber

Glass fiber is similar to the properties of polymers and carbon fiber. Created in 1932, glass fiber was used as thermal insulation for buildings. Nevertheless, the material is not as strong as carbon fiber, yet it is much cheaper than the stronger material.

Diamonds

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 According to the Mohs scale, the diamond is the hardest known natural mineral on the planet. Coming in various amount of colors, diamonds are used in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing.

Other diamonds can only scratch diamonds themselves. Some blue diamonds are natural semiconductors, electrical insulators, and natural electrical conductors.

Kevlar

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Kevlar was originally not used for tactical or military work. In the 1970s, Kevlar was used as a replacement for steel in racing tires.

Across the globe, Kevlar is used for countless tools and products that, include bicycle tires, racing sails, and the most commonly known bulletproof vests. The high tensile strength-to-weight ratio makes it five times stronger than steel.

Patella Vulgata

Also known as a limpet, the patella vulgata is a species of sea snail found across Western Europe. The teeth of aquatic creatures can actually be stronger than spider silk, officially the strongest naturally occurring material on Earth. The strength of the patella vulgata of teeth is compared to that of carbon fibers.

Zylon

Developed by SRI International as a unique variety of thermoset liquid-crystalline polyoxazole, the created material is 1.6 times stronger than kevlar and shares the material's thermal stability. You can find Zylon used in some sporting gear like Tennis racquets, table-tennis blades, and snowboards.

Carbon Fiber

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The powerful and commonly used carbon fiber is an impressive feat of engineering. Carbon fiber strands are about 5–10 micrometers in diameter and are composed mostly of carbon atoms.

The material is preferred over steel and other popular alloys because of its high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight, high chemical resistance, high-temperature tolerance, and low thermal expansion. The material is used in aerospace, the automotive industry, sport, civil engineering, and the military.

Wurtzite Boron Nitrite

As one of the rarest materials in the world, wurtzite boron nitrite is one of the strongest materials on this list. The material can be found naturally; however, because of its rarity, wurtzite boron nitrite has to be synthesized. Wurtzite boron nitrite can withstand 18 percent more stress than a diamond.

Graphene

Topping the list, graphene is the strongest material known to humans. The transparent material is composed of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a triangular lattice, and it’s the basic structural element in charcoal, graphite, and carbon nanotubes. Graphene is commonly used in the aerospace and automotive industries; graphene is 200 times more than steel.

Source: Science Direct