OSTIblog Articles in the Shape-Memory Topic

Shape-Memory Materials Magic

Hubble Space Telescope Courtesy of NASA

Just like magic, shape-memory materials have the ability to be transformed into another shape and then return to their original shape—or in some cases even metamorphose into a third shape before returning to their original shape.  This transformation is possible because the crystalline structure of shape-memory alloys allows them to sense and respond to their environment.  Shape-memory transformation behavior can now be created by thermal, light, or chemical environments. Shape-memory alloys have been used by the research community for well over a decade to accomplish tasks that were not possible otherwise.   

Visit OSTI's Catalogue of Collections to learn about the magic happening with shape-memory technology by DOE researchers and U.S. federal agencies.

SciTech Connect is DOE's premier full-text source for research and development results in the OSTI Collections.  A myriad of DOE's research projects have utilized shape-memory materials such as endovascular therapies, energy-efficient cooling systems that use an elastic shape-memory metal alloy as a refrigerant, and the discovery of shape-...

Related Topics: fiber, In the OSTI Collections, plastic, Shape-Memory, solar