The impressive drying property stems from the very large internal surface area of Upsalite. MgCO3 is a common mineral that occurs in a variety of forms, most of which have water bound to their surface and are crystalline. By contrast, Upsalite has no water integrated into its structure and is not crystalline. Instead, it is mesoporous—a structure with pores that are a million times smaller than the width of a human hair—which provides it with a much greater surface area.
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Scientists create “impossible material”—dubbed Upsalite—by accident
Reaction left over the weekend produces a material sought since the 1800s.
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It happens. Teflon was discovered while the researchers were working on something entirely different.