Abstract
A rigidity controllable material is designed by applying the thermo-induced phase transition (glass transition) of a thermo-setting polymer. This transition of a conductive MWNT/epoxy composite took place due to associated ohmic heat once a voltage was applied. Energy absorption percentage of an external impact changes from about 30% to 90% at room temperature and 80oC respectively, revealing that the originally rigid matrix is able to turn into a damping material rapidly when needed. Other mechanical properties such as hardness, Young’s modulus were also measured with varied temperature to understand the mechanism.