Metallic bubble wrap offers 'better protection for products'

Potential applications include automobile body panels, the wing edges of airplanes, suitcases, helmets and cases for computers and other electronic devices.

‘This material does exactly what sheet metal and other bubble wraps do, but better,’ said Dr. Afsaneh Rabiei, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the lead researcher on the project. ‘And it won’t cost businesses and consumers very much because producing it requires just a few steps.’

Rabiei developed the metallic bubble wrap to offer protection in areas that are only a few millimetres thick. To be effective, such materials must be thin enough to fit inside tightly spaced product linings, flexible enough to withstand twisting and bending, and strong enough to protect the contents inside.

To create the bubble wrap, Rabiei started with a thin sheet of aluminium and used a studded roller to dot the material with small indentations. Then she deposited a foaming agent — such as calcium carbonate or titanium hydrate — into the indentations. When heated, such agents decompose and create bubbles.