When tensioned, ordinary materials expand along the direction of the applied force. The new metamaterials (artificial materials engineered to have properties that may not be found in nature) do the ...

Take almost any solid material and squeeze it with an industrial piston. It will compress to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the kind of material and how hard you squeeze. However, certain ...

Our intuition tells us that a sample of material compressed uniformly from all sides should reduce its dimensions. Only a few materials subjected to hydrostatic compression exhibit the opposite ...

Add water to a half-filled cup and the water level rises. This everyday experience reflects a positive material property of the water-cup system. But what if adding more water lowers the water level ...

The vast majority of materials shrink in all directions when hydrostatically compressed; exceptions include certain metallic or polymer foam structures, which may exhibit negative linear ...

New metamaterials that shrink under tension and expand under compression might soon become a reality thanks to theoretical work done by scientists in the US. The researchers say the materials – which ...

Compress a material and it will deform in the direction of the applied force: in other words, it becomes squashed. Similarly, a material under tension will stretch. But what of the opposite idea, that ...

WASHINGTON, D.C., April t24, 2017 -- In the not-too-distant future, it may be possible to 3-D print virtually anything. Consider standard printers, which "synthesize" thousands of colors by using only ...

Materials with negative linear compressibility are sought for various technological applications. Such effects were reported mainly in framework materials. When heated, they typically contract in the ...

There are few things better than lazing around the house on a warm summer day, whose fragrant zephyrs speak of spicy isles and heaven-breathing groves. * At least, until the neighbors start their leaf ...