A Nitinol wire returns to its original, pre-set shape after being heated due to a phenomenon called the shape memory effect. This ability comes from a reversible, temperature-dependent change in the material's atomic structure, not from a simple expansion or melting. | Fadhel Mahdi

NiTiNOL’s shape-memory effect arises from a reversible phase transformation between its austenite and martensite crystal structures. At higher temperatures, in the austenite phase, NiTiNOL maintains a specific shape due to its ordered crystal structure. When cooled below a transition temperature, it transforms into the martensite phase, becoming flexible and deformable. This is where you can bend the wire and deform it into any shape you’d like. Upon heating above the transition temperature (the

This alloy remembers its shape, and what's your superpower? More about nitinol: http://bit.ly/2rl0PrD | MEL Science