Is it possible to build long-lived macro-scale structures out of non-atomic substances?

A staple of science fiction is substances like 'durasteel' or 'tritanium', which, through generally unexplained means, have vastly superior material qualities when compared to conventional materials. Other common materials for constructing sci-fi vehicles and structures out of are heavy, stable elements, like those proposed to be in the "island of stability" in the periodic table.

However, there are other forms of matter that can exist in the universe, which are not found in the periodic table. Antimatter is the most obvious example, but interacts poorly with matter, limiting its utility as a construction material in a world filled with ordinary matter. More exotic things like pentaquarks also exist. Unfortunately, most of these particles are highly unstable, limiting their utility in the construction of spacecraft and the like. Are there any such exotic, non-atomic forms of matter which would be feasible as futuristic construction material?

Note: I'm concerned with building large-ish (person sized or larger) structures out of such materials which are 'long lived' in the sense that the construction materials won't decay in fewer than a couple of years.

posted almost 8 years ago

ckersch‭

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