Titanium

Titanium is as strong as many steels but about 45% lighter, and it shrugs off corrosion from seawater and body fluids. It is the ninth most common element in Earth's crust, mined from the minerals ilmenite and rutile. The metal is hard to extract, which keeps it expensive, so it is saved for jet engines, aircraft, medical implants and premium gear.

About 95% of titanium ore is turned into titanium dioxide, the brilliant white pigment in paint, paper, plastics and sunscreen. Bonded with nitrogen as titanium nitride, titanium forms thin, hard layers inside chips that keep metals from spreading where they shouldn't.