Extraordinary new material shows zero heat expansion from 4 to 1,400 K

Australian researchers have created what may be one of the most thermally stable materials ever discovered. This new zero thermal expansion (ZTE) material made of scandium, aluminum, tungsten and oxygen did not change in volume at temperatures ranging … Continue reading Extraordinary new material shows zero heat expansion from 4 to 1,400 K

Thin Coatings Require an Impressive Collection of Equipment and Know-How

Let’s be honest — not too many of us have a need to deposit nanometer-thick films onto substrates in a controlled manner. But if you do find yourself in such …read more Continue reading Thin Coatings Require an Impressive Collection of Equipment and Know-How

Homebrew Metrology the CERN Way

We won’t pretend to fully grok everything going on with this open-source 8.5-digit voltmeter that [Marco Reps] built. After all, the design came from the wizards at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, home to the Large Hadron Collider …read more

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Electricity-free radiative system cools buildings and heats water

Air conditioners and other cooling systems are among our biggest consumers of electricity, so finding ways to passively cool buildings will be important in our increasingly warmer future. Now, researchers at the University at Buffalo have developed a p… Continue reading Electricity-free radiative system cools buildings and heats water

Thermal camera bracelet reads your wrist to track your fingers

Capturing the complexities of the human hand is a difficult task – just ask any artist or animator. Now, engineers at Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a new wearable system that uses thermal sensors to accuratel… Continue reading Thermal camera bracelet reads your wrist to track your fingers

Nanofiber material tough as Kevlar but 20 times more heat-resistant

Kevlar and Twaron are famously tough materials, but there’s a bit of a trade-off to be made between strength, heat resistance and weight. Now, researchers have created a new nanofiber version of the material that’s just as strong, but much more insulat… Continue reading Nanofiber material tough as Kevlar but 20 times more heat-resistant