Rubber-Metal Hybrid Stiffens when Stressed

Feb-21-18 A unique new rubber-metal material from Iowa State University will become stiffer when bent.

The material, which does not require any outside energy sources, was developed by a process the team has been working on called undercooling—which allows the metal to stay liquid below its melting temperature. The team created droplets of undercooled metal, and then combined the particles with an elastomer material.

When the hybrid material is stressed, such as by bending or squeezing, the droplets of liquid-metal break open to form a metal mesh that solidifies and stiffens by up to 300 percent.

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