Episode 18: Glassy gels exhibit numerous mechanical properties

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Sophia Chen interviews Michael Dickey of North Carolina State University about the discovery and mechanical properties of glassy gels. Dicky credits his postdoc Meixiang Wang who, while studying ionic liquids, created the first glassy gel. Dicky’s group found that the mechanical properties of their glassy gel include shape memory, self-healing, and adhesion. While other materials may demonstrate comparable toughness and stretchiness, the glassy gel offers an advantage because of its simple curing process. This work was published in a recent issue of Nature.