Stretching liquid crystals to the limit with LC AuxeTec
The unintuitive properties of LC AuxeTec’s materials mean they thicken when stretched, and could be exploited in body armour and skyscraper windows
Auxeticity – the tendency of a material to become thicker rather than thinner when stretched – is an unusual phenomenon. While the property is uncommon, it’s not unheard of. LC AuxeTec, a new company spinning out from the University of Leeds in the UK, is developing auxetic liquid crystal elastomers.