Wet to Shrink: an Approach to Realize Negative Expansion upon Wetting

Composites can be designed to have special properties, and even such properties that are difficult to find in nature. We propose a simple approach to realize negative expansion upon wetting, i.e., contraction upon wetting, using swelling materials. The key parameters in one-dimensional case are investigated, and the possible configurations for two and three-dimensional cases are presented. The feasibility is demonstrated through a simple test. (c) Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2009