Shapeshifting Material Morphs with Heat, Light
From Square to Round and Back UC Boulder Shapeshifting Material University of Colorado Boulder scientists just developed a new shape shifting material that enables a square peg to morph and fit into a round hole. All before it reverts back to its original shape. Broad Uses The material can change into complex, pre-programmed shapes when exposed to light or heat. It may have a broad range of uses in robotics, 3D printing, medical devices, artificial muscles and biomaterials. It uses liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) which is the same tech in modern TV displays. Material Science Breakthrough The new material can go back and forth between 2 separate shapes repeatedly. It achieves readily programmable 2-way transformations and was just reported by UC Boulder. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the results were just published in the journal Science Advances. The researchers in UC Boulder's Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering are going