Engineering products are currently designed to operate under a fixed set of conditions, but the demands of a dynamic environment may occasionally exceed these specifications, resulting in technical failures. Materials with properties that can be modulated in real time allow the functionality of a product to be dynamically tuned to meet these changing requirements. Having a single versatile product that meets multiple needs also eliminates the necessity for multiple parts with dedicated functionalities, conserving space, material, and energy. Here, a material with electrically tunable mechanical properties is demonstrated using an electrolytic cell with porous copper foams for electrodes. By controlling the voltage polarity, current density, and process duration, copper metal is reversibly deposited or etched from the foam in a precise and deterministic manner without changing its nominal volume or temperature. The resultant change in relative density, in turn, alters the modulus, strength, and energy absorption characteristics of the foams over a range of two orders of magnitude. By excessively depositing material at the interface of separate foam pieces, the system is shown to possess self‐healing characteristics as well. Finally, a demonstration of real‐time mechanical property modulation in a product prototype is carried out.

中文翻译：

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含可溶性多孔阳极的电解槽机械和自愈性能的精确动态控制

目前，工程产品被设计为可在一组固定条件下运行，但是动态环境的要求有时可能会超出这些规格，从而导致技术故障。具有可以实时调制的属性的材料允许动态调整产品的功能，以满足这些不断变化的需求。具有满足多种需求的单一多功能产品还消除了具有专用功能，节省空间，材料和能源的多个零件的必要性。在此，使用具有多孔铜泡沫的电解池作为电极来演示具有电可调机械性能的材料。通过控制电压极性，电流密度和过程持续时间，铜金属以精确和确定的方式可逆地从泡沫中沉积或蚀刻，而不改变其标称体积或温度。相对密度的最终变化又在两个数量级的范围内改变了泡沫的模量，强度和能量吸收特性。通过在单独的泡沫块的界面处过度沉积材料，该系统还具有自愈特性。最后，对产品原型中的实时机械性能调制进行了演示。通过在单独的泡沫块的界面处过度沉积材料，该系统还具有自愈特性。最后，对产品原型中的实时机械性能调制进行了演示。通过在单独的泡沫块的界面处过度沉积材料，该系统还具有自愈特性。最后，对产品原型中的实时机械性能调制进行了演示。