What about a material that is capable of supporting mass 1,000 times more than its own mass? And what more, it would bend or change shape with the mere warmth from a human hand. Researchers from the University of Rochester have developed this new polymer which, they claim, has traits that could make it "uniquely useful" in a wide range of fields, including medical science.

The findings of this study have been published in the Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics.

So far, we had only heard of polymers that changed their shape when subjected to heat, but it is probably for the first time that the rare-quality substance has been developed that can become flexible when exposed to mere body heat. Another interesting aspect is that when the material is removed from human body (or from some other heat source), it again rebounds to its original shape.

Mitch Anthamatten, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Rochester, said, "Tuning the trigger temperature is only one part of the story. We also engineered these materials to store large amount[s] of elastic energy, enabling them to perform more mechanical work during their shape recovery".

While claiming that the research would pave the way for unique medical and other applications, Anthamatten and his co-researchers managed to change the stability of the material and manage the melting point at which the shape change is triggered. All this was done through a change in the types and number of crystal linkers applied, and the manner in which they are spread throughout the polymer network.

With the help of individual "linkers", the scientists were able to connect the molecules, thereby, decreasing the impact of crystallization in the new polymer. By cautiously controlling the placement of the linking chains, the scientists were able to precisely direct the turning point of the material.