{"id":3304,"date":"2025-02-22T06:12:47","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T06:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=3304"},"modified":"2025-03-17T07:30:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T07:30:52","slug":"scientists-reveal-how-flexible-crystals-store-and-release-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=3304","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Reveal How Flexible Crystals Store and Release Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>New Findings Could Inspire Advanced Materials for Spacecraft, Electronics, and Architecture<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A team of Australian researchers has uncovered the <strong>molecular mechanism behind elasticity<\/strong> in flexible materials, paving the way for the development of <strong>next-generation building materials, spacecraft components, and electronic devices<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study, conducted by scientists at <strong>The University of Queensland (UQ) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT)<\/strong>, investigated how <strong>elastic crystals<\/strong> bend and return to their original shape. The findings, published in <a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/s41563-025-02133-w\"><em>Nature Materials<\/em><\/a>, provide <strong>a deeper understanding of energy storage and recovery at the molecular level<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Unlocking the Secret of Elastic Crystals<\/strong><br>Elasticity\u2014the ability of materials to return to their original shape after being stretched or compressed\u2014is essential for <strong>optical fibers, aircraft parts, and even skyscrapers<\/strong>. However, the <strong>precise molecular interactions<\/strong> that enable elasticity in certain crystalline materials have remained unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor <strong>Jack Clegg<\/strong> from UQ\u2019s <strong>School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences<\/strong> explained how the team studied the forces at work within these materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;We examined how flexible crystals bend, contract, and then restore themselves, identifying how energy is stored and released at the molecular level,&#8221;<\/em> Clegg said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers <strong>bent and deformed crystals<\/strong>, including one developed at UQ that can be <strong>tied into a knot<\/strong>, and <strong>analyzed how intermolecular interactions<\/strong> changed under <strong>compressive and expansive strain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Discovery: How Energy is Stored in Crystals<\/strong><br>The study revealed that the <strong>energy required for the crystal to return to its original shape<\/strong> is stored in the <strong>rotational and reorganizational movement of molecules<\/strong> within the structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As the crystal bends, molecules shift into a <strong>strained configuration<\/strong>, creating <strong>a difference in energy storage between the inner and outer regions<\/strong> of the bend.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Once the strain is released, the <strong>stored energy spontaneously restores the crystal&#8217;s original shape<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This process was so <strong>efficient<\/strong> that a bent crystal could store enough energy to <strong>lift an object 30 times its weight by one meter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Potential Applications: From Spacecraft to Smart Materials<\/strong><br>This newfound understanding of elasticity could lead to the development of <strong>advanced hybrid materials<\/strong> with <strong>customizable flexibility and resilience<\/strong>. These materials could be used in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Aerospace engineering<\/strong> \u2013 for spacecraft components that require durability and flexibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Construction and architecture<\/strong> \u2013 for self-repairing or impact-resistant materials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Electronic devices<\/strong> \u2013 for flexible screens or sensors in wearable technology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor <strong>John McMurtrie<\/strong> from QUT emphasized the <strong>broader implications of the study<\/strong>, noting that the technique used could be applied to <strong>millions of known and undiscovered crystals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Elasticity is fundamental to both life and technology, allowing everything from skyscrapers to animal movement. This research opens the door to designing new materials with tailored flexibility,&#8221;<\/em> McMurtrie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Future Prospects<\/strong><br>By applying this method to <strong>other crystalline materials<\/strong>, researchers aim to <strong>develop new smart materials<\/strong> capable of adapting their <strong>elastic properties for specific applications<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With elasticity being <strong>a cornerstone of modern engineering and natural systems<\/strong>, this study brings us one step closer to designing <strong>next-generation materials that combine strength, flexibility, and resilience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Findings Could Inspire Advanced Materials for Spacecraft, Electronics, and Architecture A team of Australian researchers has uncovered the molecular mechanism behind elasticity in flexible materials, paving the way for the development of next-generation building materials, spacecraft components, and electronic devices. The study, conducted by scientists at The University of Queensland (UQ) and Queensland University [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1143],"tags":[1139,1140,1141,1142,1137,1136,1138],"class_list":["post-3304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-materials-science","tag-chemistry","tag-condensed-matter-physics","tag-crystallography","tag-crystals","tag-elastic-deformation","tag-materials","tag-supramolecular-chemistry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3304"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3305,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3304\/revisions\/3305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}