UMass researchers create new material that can store and release 'enormous' amounts of energy

It's not "flubber," but researchers at UMass Amherst have engineered a new rubber-like solid substance that they say has "remarkable" energy qualities.

"It's really a composite between an elastic rubber material and a magnet," said UMass polymer science and engineering professor Alfred Crosby, who led the work.

The base material is a type of elastic rubber with specially placed magnetic beads, Crosby said. The collapsing and pulling apart of those magnets absorbs and releases energy.

"When you stretch it, you can store more energy than what you think you're putting in it," he said.

Crosby imagines the material could be used in a variety of applications, like robots or drones that jump, run or fly.

"So if you need ... a little acceleration, this material can give it to you without costing a lot of other fuel or using a lot of other energy resources," he said.

The work was funded by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the U.S. Army Research Office, as part of its "bio-inspired" research initiative. Crosby said labs like his are studying the mechanics of fast-moving animals, like the tiny mantis shrimp, which can strike its claw at about 50 miles per hour.

Crosby said the new material can also be programmed to absorb energy quickly and efficiently, and could eventually be used to limit damage in collisions, like car crashes.

Crosby said his lab has not yet gotten around to naming the new material.

"But we really should," he added.