Spiders taught scientists to make non-sinkable metal
Researchers mimicked the air-trapping movements of diving bell spiders to create aluminum that remains afloat in water even when punctured.
An “unsinkable” metal tube floats in distilled water in the laboratory of University of Rochester professor Chunlei Guo on January 9, 2026.
J. Adam Fenster/University of Rochester
Toss a coin in a fountain, and you’ll know what will happen. Metal sinks because it is denser than water – ask any child. But new research has challenged centuries of certainty.
A team at the University of Rochester has carved aluminum tubes so that they won’t sink even if damaged – a trick scientists have borrowed from spiders.
“You can make big holes in them,” said Chunlei Guo, senior author of the research and a professor of optics and physics at the University of Rochester. Press release. “We showed that even if you seriously damage tubes with as many holes as you can, they still float.”
On supporting science journalism
If you enjoyed this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism Subscribing By purchasing a subscription, you are helping ensure a future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Many things in our lives repel water – examples include cooking oil, rain jackets or rubber gloves. Scientists call this property hydrophobicity – from the Greek “fear of water” – but the secret of the buoyancy of metal tubes lies in it. Very goodHydrophobicity.
Guo’s team uses lasers to carve microscopic valleys in aluminum that trap air: Picture corduroy fabric shrinking until an electron microscope is required to see the ridges.
According to the press release, “This mechanism is similar to how diving vine spiders trap air bubbles to keep them afloat underwater.” Spiders live almost entirely underwater but still need to breathe. Their solution is to carry their own oxygen supply. The fine hairs covering their bodies trap air bubbles on their skin.
The metal tubes mimic fine hairs, which trap their own air bubbles. Normally the water will expand on the inside walls and push the air out. But when it hits the superhydrophobic texture, it bounces. Surface tension – the same property that causes water to pool on the hood of a waxed car – prevents water from entering the tube. As a result, air stays inside, and the ducts remain happy.
The study, published on January 27, 2026 advanced functional materials, It builds on Guo’s earlier work in designing unimaginable metals. In 2019 his lab demonstrated the concept using a laser-etched disk, but in turbulent water, the disk bent and air escaped.
The new tube solves that problem with an internal separator in the middle of the tube that helps trap air into a confined chamber. “Even if you push it vertically into the water, the air bubble remains trapped inside and the tube retains its ability to float,” Guo said in the same statement. He said the team tested the tubes in harsh conditions for weeks and “found no degradation in their buoyancy.”
An “unsinkable” metal tube damaged by holes floats in distilled water in the laboratory of University of Rochester professor Chunlei Guo on January 9, 2026.
J. Adam Fenster/University of Rochester
In nature, superhydrophobicity is not a new trick. For example, mosquitoes have water-repellent nanostructures in their eyes that keep them clear. And fire ants use their waxy, water-repellent coating and textured exoskeleton to trap air; During floods, thousands of people stick together to form survival boats that can last up to 12 days and possibly longer.
As far as humans are concerned, this isn’t our first attempt at floating metal. In 2015, researchers at New York University embedded hollow silicon carbide spheres into magnesium alloy to create a metal matrix composite lighter than water.
But Guo’s work has implications beyond the laboratory. The connected tubes can form weight-carrying rafts or ships. Engineers may be realizing the dream of ships that remain afloat even when their hulls are filled with water. One surprising application involves energy: Guo’s team demonstrated that rafts made of tubes can harness waves to generate electricity.
The tubes are currently about half a meter long, but Guo sees no obstacles in increasing their size. The lasers are now seven times more powerful than in 2019, when Guo first attempted laser-etching metal discs. “The technology can easily be scaled up to larger sizes,” he said in the same statement.
It’s time to stand up for science
If you enjoyed this article, I would like to ask for your support. scientific American He has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most important moment in that two-century history.
i have been one scientific American I’ve been a member since I was 12, and it’s helped shape the way I see the world. Science Always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does the same for you.
if you agree scientific AmericanYou help ensure that our coverage focuses on meaningful research and discovery; We have the resources to report on decisions that put laboratories across America at risk; And that we support both emerging and working scientists at a time when the value of science is too often recognised.
In return, you get the news you need, Captivating podcasts, great infographics, Don’t miss the newsletter, be sure to watch the video, Challenging games, and the best writing and reporting from the world of science. you can even Gift a membership to someone.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you will support us in that mission.
