Near-equiatomic Ni–Ti that remembers shape and super-elasticates — stents, orthodontics and actuators.
Also called: NiTi · nickel titanium · shape-memory alloy
Nitinol is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under advanced: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Nitinol with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Nitinol (NiTi (~50/50 at.%)) is a family of grades whose density ~6.45 g/cm³, heat band ~1310 °C, and fire letter A1 metal.
Nitinol is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry NiTi (~50/50 at.%), density ~6.45 g/cm³, heat band ~1310 °C.
This atlas treats Nitinol as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Conductivity note: ~10–18 W/m·K. Insulation score 12/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: A1 metal. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
Origin: NOL 1959 Buehler, United States. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: titanium.
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 36/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
United States · 1959
NOL bar is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Global · 1970s–
Orthodontic wire is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Global · 1990s–
Self-expanding stent is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
United States · 1970s
Cryofit coupling is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Japan / US · 1980s–
Eyeglass frames is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Global · 1990s–
Guidewire is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Labs · 2010s–
Robotics spring is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
Global · lab
Af DSC curve is a reference point in the public image of Nitinol.
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Same family or rival physics — pick a duel.
Closest neighbours on the six atlas axes — strength, heat, fire, insulation, workability and circularity.
The hydraulic ceramic of cities — cement, water, rock and usually steel, with a fire story better than exposed steel.
Overall 57 ✈️High specific strength and chloride-tolerant films — airframes, implants and seawater.
Overall 58 🏎️Polymer-derived filaments with graphite-like sheets — aero, bikes and a fire story that is about the resin, not the fibre.
Overall 49 🦺Aromatic polyamide pulps and filaments — ballistic packs, hot-gas filtration and asbestos replacement.
Overall 62Polymer-derived filaments with graphite-like sheets — aero, bikes and a fire story that is about the resin, not the fibre.
Overall 49 ⬡A one-atom carbon sheet — Nobel-era physics, composites hype, and a few honest electronics and barrier uses.
Overall 50 ☁️A nanoscale silica sponge — among the lowest solid λ values, fragile unless blanketed, and A1 when purely inorganic.
Overall 60 ☀️ABX3 halide crystals that jumped laboratory solar efficiency — still fighting humidity, lead and lifetime.
Overall 26