Mucic acid crystals grown from a water-based solution achieved a record-breaking stiffness for an organic crystal.

The atoms in a human-made material, bismuth iron oxide (BiFeO3, or BFO), composed of bismuth (blue balls), iron (red balls) and oxygen (green balls) can be shifted back and forth between a cube-like ...

Stiff materials resist deforming when you poke them. In contrast, some materials give way so dramatically to the slightest touch that they are said to have an exotic property known as negative ...

Scientists have developed a rubbery material that transforms itself into a hard composite when bent, twisted or squeezed. The new material could be used in medicine to support delicate tissues or in ...

Researchers have demonstrated the ability to engineer materials that are both stiff and capable of insulating against heat. This combination of properties is extremely unusual and holds promise for a ...

Vibration-absorbing, sound-damping materials such as sheets of rubber and expanded foam tend to be thick, bulky and soft. A new material is a big exception to that tendency, however, as it absorbs ...

Hybrid paper-polymer material systems are becoming mainstream solutions for lightweight structural components. Their growth ...

Orienting the robotic fabric in two different directions causes a block of foam to either bend or compress, a principle that could be used to create robots that inch forward or slither. (Purdue ...

A segmental compression system assesses radial strength and stiffness. Radial strength and radial stiffness are critical functional attributes in the design of endovascular devices such as stents, ...

AMES, Iowa - A new smart and responsive material can stiffen up like a worked-out muscle, say the Iowa State University engineers who developed it. Stress a muscle and it gets stronger. Mechanically ...