Bomb-proof bubble wrap

BlastWrap is a blast-dampening material made out of volcanic glass and sealed in food-packaging plastic. The material already lines the insides of 192 trash cans in the Washington Metro system.

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The cans can withstand the explosive force of more than 12 pounds of high explosives without coming apart.

BlastWrap is filled with grains of perlite, a volcanic mineral much like pumice. When perlite is heated, water trapped in the grains makes them expand, “popping” them like popcorn. When crushed, expanded perlite yields a bit but still stands up to more crushing.

The other component of BlastWrap is a flash-suppressing substance like boric acid. The materialcan be bought as roach killer at the hardware store for $5 a pound. It contains water but loses it when heated, a reaction that absorbs energy very quickly.

Made of cheap materials and produced on meat-packaging machines, a one-inch layer of BlastWrap costs just $16 per square foot.

Via Popular Science. More info in MSNBC.

Related: Pucchin Sukatto, a pack of 15 square sheets of bubble wrap, created for the sole purpose of bubble popping.