Chinese scientists have developed a material that remembers. Actually the polymer with built-in memory can morph into different shapes when heated.
Check out this new plastic polymer created by Chinese researchers. It's designed to have shape memory, which means that it can change shapes when exposed to heat.
The scientists at Zhejiang University say it could lead to a new generation of materials driving innovations in medicine, electronics and other fields.
The approach is being called '4D printing,' as the material's properties shift based on the environment and conditions.
"Ordinary ductile materials cannot be folded at high temperatures, because they will flow and the whole system will be plasticised and melt into liquid. Our material, you can see that it's still solid at high temperatures, even though permanent deformation occurs. So we are showing the material's performance by folding it," said Zhao Qian, associate professor of Zhejiang University.
The team demonstrates using a small sheet of polymer programmed with a sequence of pre-determined shapes. It shifts repeatedly as the water temperature reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit or 60 degrees Celsius.
And what's really cool -- the shapes look like origami.
"Our material is currently a proof of concept. In terms of its permanent shaping, it is only a paper crane, similar to a toy at the moment. But we want to promote it for practical applications that have more value, like heart stents or transformable weapons," said Zou Weike, doctoral student of Zhejiang University.
The researchers' findings have been published in the journal Science Advances. They hope that by building on this technology, it will lead to incredible developments in shape shifting tools or flexible medical sensors that can adjust to body temperatures.