British researchers from the University of Southampton have created the world’s strongest silica  nanofibers. They were several times stronger than steel. Historically, carbon nanotubes were the strongest material available, but high strengths could only be measured in very short samples just a few microns long, providing little practical value.

Unlike carbon nanotubes, the silica nanofibers created  by British scientists are durable, and at the same time light, and they  can be  manufactured in  lengths of  thousands of kilometers. New nanofibers can be used in the aviation, marine and security industries.

According to the researchers, the nanofibers are 15 times stronger than steel, and  10 times stronger than glass reinforced plastic. Silica and oxygen, required to produce nanowires, are the two most common elements on the earth’s crust, www.zhelezyaka.com reports.

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