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REUSABLE, 3D-PRINTED
MATERIALS ABSORB ENERGY
Purdue University, West Lafayette,
Ind., is collaborating with General Mo-
tors, Detroit, to develop a new type of
energy-absorbing material that could
be 3D printed and have an impact on
everything from earthquake engineer-
ing to football helmets. The honeycomb
architecture of the
phase transforming
cellular materials
(PXCMs) could be
scaled to a range of sizes tailored for
various applications. One size could
be integrated into helmets to reduce
head impacts, while another would be
suitable for use in buildings to dampen
earthquake forces. Being able to 3D
print the PXCMs would make them less
expensive and more practical than oth-
er technologies, explains associate pro-
fessor Pablo Zavattieri. “The main ad-
vantage is that not only can it be used
as an energy absorbing material, but
unlike many other materials designed
for this purpose, the PXCMs are reus-
able because there is no irreversible de-
formation,” he says. The structures can
be made of metals, polymers, or “any-
thing that behaves elastically.”
Energy dissipation due to the me-
chanical behavior of the unit cells adds
to the intrinsic energy dissipation of the
base material. “Many emerging mate-
rials like aluminum, magnesium, and
fiber-reinforced composites suffer from
low intrinsic energy dissipation. The
energy absorption capability of struc-
tures that are made of such base mate-
rials can be increased by incorporating
PXCMs into the structures,” says Nilesh
Mankame of General Motors’ Smart Ma-
terials & Structures Group. Like other
phase-transforming materials such as
shape-memory alloys, PXCMs could be
controlled using heat or other external
stimuli.
For more information: Pablo Za-
vattieri, 765.496.9644,
zavattie@purdue. edu, www.purdue.edu.
LIQUID CRYSTAL RESEARCH
FOCUSES ON ARTIFICIAL
LENSES
Devesh Mistry, a researcher at the
University of Leeds, UK, is developing a
new eye lensmade of the samematerial
Honeycomb architecture of new
phase transforming cellular mate-
rials being developed by Purdue
University and General Motors.
Prototype of an electrically switchable
contact lens made of liquid crystals.
BRIEF
Researchers at
New York University,
New York, received a three-year, $2 million grant from the
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
to explore new ways to create advanced materials atom-
by-atom for use in next-generation electronic devices. The work is part of the foundation’s Emer-
gent Phenomena in Quantum Systems initiative to stimulate breakthroughs in understanding the
principles of complex quantummatter.
nyu.edu.
found in smartphones and TV screens,
which could restore long-sightedness in
older people. As people age, their lens-
es lose elasticity and they develop pres-
byopia, which often leads to the need
for reading glasses. Mistry is now work-
ing with liquid crystals to create a truly
adjustable artificial lens. “Using liquid
crystals, lenses would adjust and focus
automatically, depending on eye mus-
cle movement,” he explains. Mistry’s re-
search focuses on developing synthetic
replacements for the diseased lens,
with the goal of having a prototype
ready in 2018. Within a decade, the re-
search could lead to the new lens being
implanted into eyes in a quick surgical
procedure under local anesthetic. Eye
surgeons would make an incision in
the cornea and use ultrasound to break
down the old lens. The liquid crystal
lens would then be inserted, restoring
clear vision.
www.leeds.ac.uk.
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
A D V A N C E D
M A T E R I A L S
&
P R O C E S S E S | F E B R U A R Y
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