New Shape-Shifting Polymer Holds 1,000 Times Its Own Mass - Watch Out Plastic Man! (techtimes.com)

University of Rochester researchers have announced the development of a new polymer, capable of supporting 1,000 times its own mass. Polymers that can change shape when heated have been developed in the past, yet this new polymer exhibits the rare quality of becoming flexible when exposed to body heat. This property, which can be used to change the shape of a device, could make the substance useful in medical applications. When the new polymer is removed from the heat source (such as human body), the material immediately returns to its original configuration.

Comments

Capable of Supporting 1000 times its own mass?

[Irate Engineer]

What the fuck does that mean?

1 sq. inch (sectional area) of cheap steel can support 36,000 lbs in tension without yielding.

A 1 inch cube of steel weighs 0.29 lbs and can support 36,000 lbs, so that's 124,000 times!

This raises a red flag that whoever wrote this doesn't really get mechanics.

Re:Capable of Supporting 1000 times its own mass?

[wonkey_monkey]

I'm pretty sure a supermarket plastic bag could hold nearly 1000x its own mass - certainly within an order of magnitude, at the very least. And those are made out of a polymer too!

They even shape-shift, crinkling up into a little blob if you set them on fire. They won't shape shift back again, admittedly...