Takashi Saito, a researcher at Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories in Japan, has used quantum mechanics and high-powered computer calculations to create new mixtures of metal that have “super” properties of strength and flexibility. Saito’s team has developed titanium-based alloys with ultrahigh strength and super elasticity for applications such as spaceflight, where precision operations must be conducted in harsh conditions. The new alloys could be used for ultra-lightweight springs or other
precision instruments for use in environments such as outer space. Alloys of many different combinations are used in deep space probes, satellites, and on the Space Shuttle. According to Gary Shiflet, who works in materials science and engineering at the University of Virginia, Saito’s group has made an alloy “with spectacular properties that may have the strength to carry a load and be able to perform another distinctive capacity, such as sensing damage and perhaps even repairing themselves.”
