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Researchers Create Unsinkable Aluminum Tubes for Floating Structures

2/16/2026

Summary

Story summary

Researchers have developed a method to make aluminum tubes unsinkable by trapping air bubbles.
The tubes, about one-fifth of an inch in diameter, can be stacked to form larger floating structures and remain buoyant if damaged.
Chunlei Guo, professor at the University of Rochester, stated that the ocean is an untapped resource.
Andreas Ostendorf from Ruhr-University Bochum described it as "really interesting."
The research was published in Advanced Functional Materials.

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Story summary

Researchers have developed a method to make aluminum tubes unsinkable by trapping air bubbles.
The tubes, about one-fifth of an inch in diameter, can be stacked to form larger floating structures and remain buoyant if damaged.
Chunlei Guo, professor at the University of Rochester, stated that the ocean is an untapped resource.
Andreas Ostendorf from Ruhr-University Bochum described it as "really interesting."
The research was published in Advanced Functional Materials.