Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University
Sophisticated shape-shifters for soft robots, biomedical applications. Rice University scientists have created a rubbery, shape-shifting material that morphs from one sophisticated form to another on demand.
The shapes programmed into a polymer by materials scientist Rafael Verduzco and graduate student Morgan Barnes appear in ambient conditions and melt away when heat is applied. The process also works in reverse.
The smooth operation belies a battle at the nanoscale, where liquid crystals and the elastomer in which they’re embedded fight for control...
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