Germanate glasses are of particular interest for their excellent optical properties as well as their abnormal structural changes that appear with the addition of modifiers, giving rise to the so‐called
The ability of living species to transition between rigid and flexible shapes represents one of their survival mechanisms, which has been adopted by various human technologies. Such transition is especially desired in medical devices as rigidity facilitates the implantation process, while flexibility and softness favor biocompatibility with surrounding tissue. Traditional thermoplastics cannot match soft tissue mechanics, while gels leach into the body and alter their properties over time. Here, a single‐component system with an unprecedented drop of Young's modulus by up to six orders of magnitude from the GPa to kPa level at a controlled temperature within 28–43
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10455566
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Materials
- Volume:
- 32
- Issue:
- 50
- ISSN:
- 0935-9648
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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