December 9, 2013

Morphing material has mighty potential


Composite invented at Rice may find use in bioscaffolds, optics, drugs

Heating a sheet of plastic may not bring it to life – but it sure looks like it does in new experiments at Rice University.

The materials created by Rice polymer scientist Rafael Verduzco and his colleagues start as flat slabs, but they morph into shapes that can be controlled by patterns written into their layers.