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(Phys.org) —Squeeze a piece of silicone and it quickly returns to its original shape, as squishy as ever. But scientists at Rice University have discovered that the liquid crystal phase of silicone becomes 90 percent stiffer when silicone is gently and repeatedly compressed. Their research could lead to new strategies for self-healing materials or biocompatible materials that mimic human tissues.

Contributing geometric and topological analyses of micro-materials, mathematicians aided experimental physicists by successfully explaining the observed "beautiful and complex patterns revealed" in three-dimensional liquid crystal experiments. The work is expected to lead to creation of new materials that can be actively controlled.

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Liquid Crystal • Luxury Technology Design

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Tiny lenses blossom around a silicon bead dropped into liquid crystal – they could one day be used in solar panels and surgical cameras

P1030224-b Liquid glass melting and turning in a very hot oven of the famous Dutch glassfactory in Leerdam, The Netherlands. No photoshop or postprocessings www.glascentrumleerdam.nl/ getty images