Researchers at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering explore using piezoelectric nanoparticles for smart material design. The team discovered a key role for friction between particles in causing the materials to flip from a fluid to a more solid structure. Potential applications are paint that does not clump, liquids that harden into a mold when shaken, and wearable protective gear that stiffens when hit.
There has been an explosion in the number of nano-based products in recent years. Research in this field has attracted a great deal of scientific interest, due in part to the wide variety of potential applications in the biomedical, electronic and coatings fields.