Scientists Created Bendable Ice (and It’s Super Cool)

The ultra-elastic, frozen microfibers could teach us more about what happens when ice changes phases. Someday, they may even be used in the coldest places on Earth — or beyond.

By Joshua Learn
Oct 9, 2021 5:00 AMOct 9, 2021 12:18 PM
Ice microfiber
As seen through a microscope, an ice microfiber bends and unbends at –94 degrees Fahrenheit. (Credit: Peizhen Xu, Bowen Cui, Xin Guo and Limin Tong/Zhejiang University)

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When it comes to the topic of microfibers, researchers no longer need to “break the ice.” Thanks to a new discovery in nanomaterials, they can now bend it instead.

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