Researchers have uncovered a new remarkable metal alloy that doesn’t crack at extreme temperatures due to kinking, or bending, of crystals in the alloy at the atomic level. Unlike most materials, the new alloy displays impressive strength and toughness at extremely hot and cold temperatures, a combination that seemed nearly impossible to achieve until now.

"This elegant and clever study describes a sustainable and biodegradable silk-based replacement for microplastic encapsulants, which are a pressing environmental challenge,” says Alon Gorodetsky, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of California at Irvine, who was not associated with this research.

"The ironclad is a terrestrial beetle, so it's not lightweight and fast but built more like a little tank," study co-author David Kisailus said in a news release. "That's its adaptation: It can't fly away, so it just stays put and lets its specially designed armor take the abuse until the predator gives up," said Kisailus, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Read More