Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Morphing materials
"MIT researchers are making strides in the development of "smart materials" that can change shape. For example, imagine an airplane wing that morphs for better aerodynamics. The researchers' approach is based on the same principal that causes the material in lithium batteries to expand and contract during charging and recharging. From the MIT News Office:
In the quest for materials that would allow such morphing, engineers have recently focused on nature's approach to the problem. A plant that bends toward the light, quickly furls its leaves when touched, or pushes a concrete sidewalk aloft with its roots is essentially moving fluids between cells.
(Materials scientist Yet-Ming) Chiang realized that the solid compounds used to store electrical energy in lithium rechargeable batteries could be made to work in a similar way. The movement of ions to and from these materials during charging and recharging, he thought, was analogous to the moving fluids in plants...
The researchers have already demonstrated basic battery-based actuators that can pull and push with large force. Later this year, they hope to demonstrate the shape-morphing of a helicopter rotor blade. The morphing capability should allow for a more efficient design, ultimately making it possible for a vehicle to carry heavier loads.