Auxetic Materials: Functional Materials and Structures from Lateral Thinking!

Materials that become thicker when stretched and thinner when compressed are the subject of this review. The theory behind the counterintuitive behavior of these so-called auxetic materials is discussed, and examples and applications are examined. For example, blood vessels made from an auxetic material will tend to increase in wall thickness (rather than decrease) in response to a pulse of blood, thus preventing rupture of the vessel (see Figure).