Revolutionizing Liquid Crystal Elastomers: Training Metamaterials for Versatile Functions

fast Summary

• The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published research in its Volume 122, Issue 29 (July 2025), exploring how materials can be trained to acquire refined functions.
• Inspired by living organisms, materials are subjected to repeated inputs as part of a “training protocol” until thay achieve desired responses.
• This research emphasizes the potential for developing materials with enhanced functional capabilities by mimicking biological learning mechanisms.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The findings reported in PNAS reflect significant progress at the intersection of material science and bio-inspired engineering. For India, such advancements could have wide implications across sectors like healthcare, renewable energy, and technology growth. The ability to “train” materials opens doors to innovations such as self-healing infrastructure or adaptive medical devices. India’s ongoing push towards increasing its technological and scientific capabilities would benefit greatly from investments into biomimetic material research based on this framework. However, it will require active collaboration between academic institutions and industries to translate these concepts into practical applications.

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