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Researchers at EPFL have found that a soft material built for 3D printing also solves one of materials science’s stubborn problems: making elastomers that resist both fracture and fatigue at the same time. The study, published July 13 in Science Advances, shows that double network granular elastomers (DNGEs) achieve fracture toughness values up to 15 times higher than comparable elastomers, and fatigue resistance values up to three times higher.
DNGEs were first introduced in 2024 by EPFL’s Soft Materials Laboratory (SMaL). They’re rubber-like materials made of microscopic elastomer particles connected by a softer elastomer network, originally designed as 3D printing inks for structures with finely tuned mechanical properties. The toughness came as a surprise.
“Originally, our focus was