Tenax is the invisible charge collected from planar drift and spent to change Planar Tension. Within the AIR catalogue, Tenax is treated as a measurable binding charge produced by the movement and friction of planes and dimensions.
Nature
Tenax has no visible form within Matera. It produces no light, heat, sound or motion while stored in the compatible capacitor device.
Tenax acts on the relationship between planes. When released, it raises or lowers local Planar Tension, allowing separate planes to intersect or decouple. The charge itself remains unseen. Only the resulting rift or intersection becomes observable.
Origin
As planes and dimensions drift through the Monada, their relative positions continuously change. This movement creates minute differences in planar tension and friction at the boundaries between them. Planar Tension Catalysts passively collect these differences and condense them into stored Tenax.
The process is slow and constant. Regions with higher planar drift accumulate Tenax faster than stable regions.
Storage
Tenax remains stable only inside compatible capacitor structures. Capacity of the capacitor determines how much Tenax can be held before the structure must stop accumulating or vent the excess.
When a storage reaches capacity, additional drift no longer increases its Tenax reserve. Uncontrolled accumulation can produce local tension distortion around the capacitor.
Discharge
During discharge, Tenax is released into the local planar boundary. The release changes the surrounding Planar Tension almost immediately. A controlled discharge can force a precise intersection between Matera and another plane. An uncontrolled discharge produces unstable rifts, thermal bleeding, kinetic distortion or localized planar collapse.
The amount of Tenax spent determines the strength, size and duration of the change in Planar Tension.
Depletion
A fully depleted Tenax reserve can no longer enforce the altered Planar Tension. Intersections sustained by the reserve weaken and eventually close as the planes return to their natural separation.
Recharging requires exposure to ambient planar drift. The time required depends on the local drift density and the capacitor.