If you squeeze a normal object in all directions, it shrinks
in all directions. But a few strange materials will actually grow in one
dimension when compressed. A team of chemists has now discovered a structure
that takes this property to a new level, expanding more dramatically under
pressure than any other known material. The finding could lead to new kinds of
pressure sensors and artificial muscles.
Andrew Cairns, a graduate student at the University of
Oxford and a member of the research team, will discuss the new material and its
applications at the American Crystallographic Association meeting held July
20-24 in Honolulu.