Graphene may give rise to a revolution in future aircrafts and spacecrafts.

Graphene is a material that most people are not familiar with but researchers in many countries are busy working on. It is a new material formally discovered in 2004, for which two British scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov became Nobel Physics Laureates in 2010. Its special characteristics make it possible for the production of transparent mobile phone as thin as a piece of paper, batteries able to be fully recharged in a minute, bullet-proof shirt and other science-fiction products.
For real military application, graphene is very thin and nearly transparent pure carbon one atom thick. It is remarkably strong for its very low weight, more than 100 times stronger than steel. This makes it the best materials for aircrafts and spacecrafts.
However, there is drawback: It is forbiddenly expensive, 15 times more expensive than gold. That may be a problem for the United States as it has to reduce military spending due to its huge budget deficits, but no problem for China which has an unlimited military budget.
China certainly does not grudge however great spending for this revolutionary new materials in order to achieve integrated space and air capabilities.
Sources related to the Industrial Aviation Material Research Institute of China Aviation Industry Corporation revealed to Global Times on May 27 that they have obtained the technology for mass production of graphene film and powder and successful used graphene to make an alloy of graphene and aluminum, the first such alloy in the world, with exceptional qualities for aircrafts and spacecrafts.
With exceptionally good materials such as graphene, China will develop a hypersonic aerospace bomber carrying more than 100 hypersonic missiles.
Why can an aerospace bomber carry more than 100 hypersonic missiles? Because such missiles on the bomber are flying at the hypersonic speed of Mach 22 along with the bomber.
They need no fuel for their speed but the little fuel to control them to hit their targets.
There is no defense against such hypersonic missiles in the near future.
Source: Global Times “Bare the mystery of China’s super new material that may lead to a revolution in aircrafts and spacecrafts” (summary by Chan Kai Yee)

Graphene aerogel, propped up on the stamen of a flower. The cube, which is roughly an inch across, probably weighs less than 5 milligrams.

Graphene aerogel, sitting on top of a plant’s leaves

The graphene aerogel, balancing on the petals of a flower.

Graphene aerogel, balanced on the spine of a plant

Another shot of the graphene aerogel, balanced on the spine of a plant

Scientists have created the world’s lightest material: A graphene aerogel that is seven times lighter than air, and 12% lighter than the previous record holder (aerographite). 

A cubic centimeter of the graphene aerogel weighs just 0.16 milligrams — or, if you’re having a problem conceptualizing that, a cubic meter weighs just 160 grams (5.6 ounces). The graphene aerogel is so light that an cube inch of the stuff can be balanced on a blade of grass, the stamen of a flower, or the fluffy seed head of a dandelion.

Most aerogels are produced using a sol-gel process, where a gel is dehydrated until only the aerogel remains. Some aerogels are also produced using the template  method — aerographite, for example, is created by growing carbon on a lattice (template) of zinc oxide crystals — and then the zinc oxide is removed in an oven, leaving just the carbon aerogel. 

To create the graphene aerogel, however, researchers at Zhejiang University use a novel freeze-drying method. Basically, it seems like the researchers  create a solution of graphene and carbon nanotubes, pour it into a mold, and then freeze dry it. Freeze drying dehydrates the solution, leaving single-atom-thick layers of graphene, supported by carbon nanotubes. The researchers say that there’s no limit to the size of the container: You could make a mini graphene aerogel using this process, or a meter-cubed aerogel if you wish.
The end result is an aerogel that weighs just 0.16 milligrams per cubic centimeter, and has truly superb elasticity and absorption. 

The graphene aerogel can recover completely after more than 90% compression, and absorb up to 900 times its own weight in oil, at a rate of 68.8 grams per second. 

With these two features combined, lead researcher Gao Chao hopes that the material might be used to mop up oil spills, squeezed to reclaim the oil, and then thrown back in the ocean to mop up more oil. 

Beyond filtration, graphene aerogel might be used as insulation — or, if it’s as conductive as aerographite (which seems likely), graphene aerogel could enable the creation of lighter, higher-energy-density batteries.