Do you know Nitinol? The metal that recovers its shape

Isbel Lázaro.
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metal

Inspenet, September 22, 2023.

It’s about a nickel composite material, an element commonly used in the manufacture of batteries and to accelerate chemical reactions in this type of processes and titanium, a metal widely recognized for its use in the manufacture of various devices and tools due to its three distinctive characteristics: its low density, high strength, and ability to resist corrosion caused by seawater and chlorine.

Nitinol: revolutionary new metal?

Nitinol is an innovative metal that stands out for its ability to retain its original shape . It emerged as part of a Kickstarter project and has the potential to become a highly relevant material in the construction of objects that require maintaining their tubular shape.

This means that it has a “memory” property, that is, it retains its shape even when subjected to forces that try to modify it . Only through exposure to high temperatures is it possible to alter its shape and, in addition, it presents notable resistance to corrosion , even in the presence of acids, for long periods of time.

Likewise, Nitinol presents a significant value proposition for a wide variety of everyday products, as well as those that play a crucial role in preserving lives. If we focus on its first advantage, it can be used in all those products that require a long-lasting spring, since thanks to its memory capacity, it can maintain a specific shape for a long period.

Another use could be in the manufacture of tubeless wheels, since a Nitinol spring would be able to maintain the cylindrical shape necessary for a bicycle to move efficiently. Furthermore, by dispensing with the inner tube and maintaining a constant shape, problems related to punctures could become obsolete.

However, there is another area that is even more intriguing: the area of ​​health, because Nitinol is mainly composed of titanium, an element that is used in the manufacture of some prostheses to avoid rejection by the body and provide greater resistance. .

It is important to mention that this is not a revolutionary new material in the style of graphene, that is, it is not a substance with properties never seen before, but it is certainly a material with the potential to have a significant impact.

Source: https://www.adslzone.net/noticias/tecnologia/nitinol-material-metal-no-pierde-forma/

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