Bendy antennas are highly durable

Modern antennas are made from copper or other metals, but there are limitations to how far they can be bent — and how often — before they break completely.

North Carolina State University scientists have created antennas using an alloy that can be bent, stretched and twisted — after which they will return to their original shape.

The researchers make the new antennas by injecting an alloy made from gallium and indium — which remains in liquid form at room temperature — into very small channels the width of a human hair. The channels are hollow. like a straw, with openings at either end, but can be any shape. Once the alloy has filled the channel, the surface of the alloy oxidises, creating a skin that holds the alloy in place while allowing it to retain its liquid properties.

Because the alloy remains a liquid, it takes on the mechanical properties of the material encasing it, according to Dr Michael Dickey, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State.