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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Weird Wednesday ~ Morphing Metal


Martensite crystals seen on a microscopic level.
A new type of metal alloy called Martensite has been discovered by scientists. This metal has two different arrangements of atoms and is able to switch seamlessly between them. Martensite is a crystal which can change shape tens of thousands of times when heated and cooled without degrading. 
Current Martensites are made of nickel and titanium and are in current use for eyeglass frames and various surgical procedures. The new Martensites are made up of a mix of zinc, gold and copper and will not degrade like their counterpart. 
Scientists are hoping to apply this technology to ceramics so that they might shape switched.

Read complete story here!
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2 comments:

  1. the dogs' motherFebruary 12, 2014 at 5:50 AM

    Last sentence cracked me up:
    "These sorts of gizmos are already used in tyre pressure-monitoring systems in cars to power the electronics in the sensors."

    Who knew 'gizmo' as a scientific term?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Debra She Who SeeksFebruary 12, 2014 at 6:58 AM

    Shapeshifting is real!

    ReplyDelete

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