Researchers have found a way to transform a special type of material called "metallic glass" into something stronger and more malleable. The researchers say they can create a material stronger than steel that is as pliable as rubber.
So what are metal glasses? Under certain conditions, metal can also form like glass, acquiring properties that make it ideal for electrical transformers and other innovative applications. Metallic glasses have been known since the 1960s. However, these materials are expensive to manufacture, and some are more efficient to manufacture than others.
The new material creation process is based on computer modeling. This leads to the appearance of a substance in the form of a liquid metal (how not to recall "Terminator-2"). This type of material becomes malleable when heated and can be shaped into almost any shape. It is also very strong - sometimes three times as strong as steel. Although the shapes of metal glass already exist, a new process and predictable model will lead to more efficient shapes.
Until now, other metal glass alloys have been very expensive to manufacture and could only be used in expensive, high quality products. For example, the ejection pins in iPhones are made of this type of substance, as are the springs of expensive Swiss watches, medical implants or tennis rackets.
The new material is cheap to manufacture, and it promises a new revolution in materials science, particularly in the production of personal electronic devices.
