# Knots Smaller Than Human Hair Make Materials Unusually Tough

**Source**: https://aph.caltech.edu/news/knots-smaller-than-human-hair-make-materials-unusually-tough-1
**Parent**: https://aph.caltech.edu/people/jrgreer

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Knots Smaller Than Human Hair Make Materials Unusually Tough

# Knots Smaller Than Human Hair Make Materials Unusually Tough

March 09, 2023

In the latest advance in nano- and micro-architected materials, engineers at Caltech have developed a new material made from numerous interconnected microscale knots. The knots make the material far tougher than identically structured but unknotted materials: they absorb more energy and are able to deform more while still being able to return to their original shape undamaged. [[Caltech story](https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/knots-smaller-than-human-hair-make-materials-unusually-tough)]

Written by

Robert Perkins

Julia Greer

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