A new composite material developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge promises to revolutionize the way we think about precision engineering. The high-performance thermal expansion composite (HP-TEC) has been designed to have a highly precise thermal expansion coefficient allowing scientists and engineers to better control the size and shape of components when exposed to changing temperatures. This is particularly important for applications such as precision optics, where the slightest variations in size and shape can have a significant impact on performance. HP-TEC is created by combining two different materials with different thermal expansion coefficients, which can be precisely tuned to give the desired thermal expansion coefficient. This new material could be used for a range of applications, including optical components, aerospace and automotive components, and even medical implants.

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source: Phys.org