A hybrid material that reversibly switches between two stable solid states

Most types of solid matter have a single stable solid state for a particular set of conditions. Nonetheless, materials with distinct, interchangeable solid states would be advantageous for several technological applications. Here, we describe a material composed of a polymer impregnated with a supercooled salt solution, termed as sal-gel, that assumes two distinct but stable and reversible solid states under the same conditions for a range of temperatures (−90 to 58 °C) and pressure. On transient stimulation of nucleation, the material switches from a clear and soft solid to a white and hard state, which can be 104 times stiffer than the original (15 kPa versus 385 MPa). This hard solid becomes soft again by transient heating, demonstrating the reversibility of the transition. This concept, exploiting the robust physical metastability of a liquid state, is extended to sugar alcohols, resulting in a stimuli-responsive and non-evaporating sug-gel. These ‘two-in-one’ solid materials may find potential uses in soft robotics and adhesive applications. Mechanically switchable materials made of supercooled fluids embedded in a polymer matrix reversibly shift between soft and hard solid states upon stimulation.