A class of synthetic soft materials called liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) can change shape in response to heat, similar to ...

The top image illustrates the 3D framework of the structure housing the liquid crystal molecules, shown in blue and green. The bottom sequence details the transition from random orientation (left) to ...

The oil runs down slowly but leaves a long streak. The corn syrup barely moves at all. Each liquid has certain characteristics based on the molecules it is made of. The plastic also has certain ...

Water molecules freeze in a hexagonal pattern and the molecules are further apart than they were as liquid water. Water is unusual because its molecules move further apart when it freezes. The ...

However, getting the elastomers' molecules aligned can be challenging ... Herman et al, Digital Light Process 3D Printing of Magnetically Aligned Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Free–forms ...

Unlike in ice, these bonds are broken and re-formed on average 1 trillion times per second in liquid water, so that the water molecules can be packed closer together and move very quickly.