Japan unveils material that 'changes cosmology and medicine'

(NLDO) - A research team from Tohoku University (Japan) has developed a metamaterial that could create a breakthrough in the production of future spacecraft and medical equipment.

According to SciTech Daily , this new material is a superelastic titanium-aluminum (Ti-Al) alloy that is both lightweight and durable.

It can maintain its super elasticity over an unprecedented temperature range, from -269°C to +127°C, that is, from the temperature of liquid helium to temperatures significantly higher than boiling water.

Ti-Al metamaterial created by Japanese scientists - Photo: Sheng Xu

According to Associate Professor Sheng Xu from the Frontier Science Research Institute at Tohoku University, this is the first alloy that can maintain superelasticity at such an extreme temperature range.

Those properties make it ideal for future space missions, such as creating super-elastic tires for rovers on the Moon or other planets, which have complex, unpredictable surfaces and extreme temperature fluctuations.

This would pave the way for explorations requiring direct, targeted access to distant planets and moons, opening new doors for cosmology.

The alloy's versatility at extremely low temperatures makes it a promising material for many green industries in the future.

Additionally, this alloy can be used in devices that require flexibility, such as medical devices – for example, stents.

Currently, most "shape memory" alloys, which are elastic enough to regain their original shape after being subjected to force, are limited to certain temperature ranges.

The new Ti-Al alloy overcomes this limitation.

To create it, the team used advanced techniques to create precise microstructures, while optimizing processing methods, especially heat treatment, to achieve the desired material properties.

"This discovery not only sets a new standard for superelastic materials but also provides new principles for material design, which will certainly inspire further breakthroughs in materials science," said Associate Professor Xu.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nhat-ban-ra-mat-vat-lieu-lam-thay-doi-vu-tru-hoc-va-y-hoc-196250303111515062.htm