A collaborative effort by leading Japanese institutions has led to the development of copper-based alloy (Cu-Al-Mn) with a unique “shape memory effect” at a low temperature of -200°C (−328 °F). This ...

Researchers have developed a novel copper-based alloy that exhibits a special shape memory effect at temperatures as low as -200°C. The work has been published in the journal Communications ...

The secret to how steel hardens and shape-memory alloys snap into place lies in rapid, atomic-scale shifts that scientists have struggled to observe in materials. Now, Cornell researchers are ...

Shape memory alloys (SMA) remember their original shape and return to it after being heated. Similar to how a liquid transforms into a gas when boiled, SMAs undergo a phase transformation when heated ...

The Curiosity Mars rover has been a remarkable success except in one area – its wheels are falling apart faster than expected. To prevent this from happening to future rover missions, NASA's Glenn ...

The unique properties of shape-memory alloys such as nitinol have lent themselves to a variety of applications across numerous industries, including medical devices. These common shape-memory alloys, ...

What is a shape memory alloy? Shape memory alloys or SMA's are metals that exhibit shape memory properties. The shape memory effect was first discovered in 1932 in a silver-cadmium alloy. It allows ...

Besides superfluous features like touchscreens and internal cameras, basic refrigerator technology hasn't changed much in decades. They still chill your milk by way of chemical refrigerants and ...

Humanity may be divided on a great many issues, but most would agree that it would be very cool to have airplane wings made of shapeshifting metal. The geometry of those fabulous foils affects ...

The basis of the nickel-titanium shape memory alloy (SMA) class is the intermetallic equiatomic binary alloy NiTi. Thanks to its moderate solubility range, its composition can be changed, and it can ...