BEND IT. HEAT IT. WATCH IT REMEMBER. Nitinol is a special alloy of nickel and titanium that has an interesting property called shape memory. This means the metal can undergo deformation at one temperature, then recover its original shape at another. This sample’s transition temperature is around 40°C (104°F) which can be achieved using hot water or a hair dryer. It’s trained shape is straight and unbent. So if you bend it and then put it in a bowl of hot water, the molecules in the wire undergo a phase transition that causes the wire instantly re-straighten. Once cooled, you can then bend it to any shape and repeat the process. Nitinol has great potential for use in systems where latent heat energy can be utilized to trigger a task. Nitinol motors are already being developed and NASA has even experimented with using this material for wheels on future rovers. Wire included is approximately 6". For custom lengths, contact us.