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Shape memory alloys have limitations, though. Notably, if you squeeze a piece of metal over and over, the material is going to fatigue.
Partly for this reason, researchers have also pursued “barocaloric” materials, which heat up when you apply pressure. It’s the same basic principle: Pressure induces a phase change, lowering entropy and heating the material. One intriguing material is neopentylglycol, a type of plastic crystal. This material is soft and deformable, consisting of molecules loosely bound in a crystal structure. |