Shape memory ceramics promise brand new material

The method was inspired by the solid-to-solid phase transformation exhibited by some shape memory alloys. In order to encourage similar behaviour in ceramics, the researchers finely tuned the distances between atoms by compositional changes, aiming to make the two phases fit together well.

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Although some experimental attempts ended in samples exploding or collapsing into powder, the team ultimately achieved a reversible transformation, easily moving back and forth between the phases, much like a shape memory material.

According to the researchers, the conditions under which this reversible transformation occurred can be applied widely, providing a pathway towards the creation of shape-memory ceramics. The work is described in the journal Nature.

“We were quite amazed by our results. Shape-memory ceramics would be a completely new kind of functional material,” said Richard James, a co-author of the study and a Professor at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Aerospace Engineering Mechanics.