neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) tagged posts

Tiny Magnetic Particles enable new Material to Bend, Twist, and Grab

An assortment of objects made from magnetic shape-memory polymers. (Credit: Shuai Wu, The Ohio State University)

A team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and The Ohio State University has developed a soft polymer material, called magnetic shape memory polymer, that uses magnetic fields to transform into a variety of shapes. The material could enable a range of new applications from antennas that change frequencies on the fly to gripper arms for delicate or heavy objects.

The material is a mixture of three different ingredients, all with unique characteristics: two types of magnetic particles, one for inductive heat and one with strong magnetic attraction, and shape-memory polymers to help lock various shape changes into place.

“This is the first material t...

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