metalwhen
Metalwhen is a fictional term used in speculative fiction and worldbuilding to describe a class of metallic materials whose properties change in response to the timing of external signals. The name combines metal with when to emphasize temporal control over material state. In many stories, metalwhen alloys respond to a programmed sequence of cues, making their behavior depend on when a stimulus occurs, not only how strong it is.
In these depictions, metalwhen properties are temporally tunable: stiffness, strength, conductivity, or transparency can shift according
Common fictional mechanisms invoke metastable lattice states, quantum time-activation, or programmable microstructure. Some works treat metalwhen
While metalwhen has no basis in established science, it echoes real smart materials such as shape memory
In literature and media, metalwhen appears in military science fiction, cyberpunk settings, and worldbuilding guides, often