Researchers have discovered the piezochiral effect, a new phenomenon that enables control of chirality using mechanical strain. Published in *Nature* on July 29, 2026, this discovery expands upon existing strain-responsive functionalities like piezoelectricity and piezomagnetism.
The piezochiral effect, as detailed in the article with doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10845-5, introduces a method for manipulating chirality – the property of being non-superimposable on its mirror image – through applied mechanical strain. This is achieved by leveraging materials that exhibit this newly identified effect.
The research indicates potential applications across several fields, including photonics, spintronics, biosensing and quantum information. The ability to control chirality via mechanical force opens doors for innovative technologies in these areas. While the article does not detail *how* specific devices would utilize this effect, it establishes the fundamental principle enabling such developments.
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