Active Materials

Researchers have turned a stubborn alloy into a shape-shifting foam by just giving it a little breathing room. David Dunand, James N. and Margie M. Krebs Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, has teamed up with Boise State University professor Peter Müllner and McCormick postdoctoral fellow Vee Boonyongmaneerat to create a foam from a nickel-manganese-gallium alloy (Ni-Mn-Ga) that changes shape when exposed to a magnetic field. The new foam could translate to smaller, lighter pumps and more aerodynamic airplane wings. More here