Collaborate Disseminate
Here’s a novel ratchet mechanism developed by researchers that demonstrates how a single object — in this case a gear shaped like a six-pointed star — can rectify the disordered …read more Continue reading Symmetrical Gear Spins One-Way, Harvesting Surrounding Chaos
Having lots of glass surfaces can brighten up a room, but it also lets in too much heat as well as neighbors’ prying eyes. A new metamaterial is not only more transparent to light, but adds privacy, cools the room inside, and automatically cleans itsel… Continue reading More transparent than glass, new material cools rooms and self-cleans
Hackers just can’t help but turn their sights on timepieces, and [Armin Bindzus] has designed an electrowetting-based watch. Electrowetting is a way of changing the contact angle of droplets on …read more Continue reading Droplet Watch Keeps Time Via Electrowetting
It was just this August that we heard about a super-slippery 3D-printed toilet bowl, which bacteria slide right off of. Well, if you want that same sort of functionality in your existing toilet, a special coating may do the trick.Continue ReadingCatego… Continue reading Slippery coating keeps bacteria from hanging out in toilet bowls
Scientists have developed what they call the most water-repellent surface ever. By giving it a liquid-like coating that defies usual designs, water will roll off the surface at angles 500 times shallower than other superhydrophobic materials.Continue R… Continue reading World’s most water-repellent surface surprises its own inventors
Inspired by a water-dwelling spider, researchers have created a novel surface material that stays dry for months underwater, and also greatly resists adhesion by bacteria and marine organisms like barnacles. They say the surface is easy to produce, sca… Continue reading Novel spider-inspired surface material stays dry for months underwater
Ice build-up can pose a problem for roads, aircraft, wind turbines and power lines, among many other things. Now scientists at Dalian University of Technology have developed a new structure made of copper nanowires that can passively de-ice surfaces wi… Continue reading Solar-heated nanowires de-ice surfaces with almost 100% efficiency
Researchers have developed a surfactant spray that counters the mosquito’s natural water-resisting properties, offering a safe and effective means of taking down mosquitoes without using insecticides. The spray could be used to protect people from the … Continue reading Surfactants safely take down mosquitoes without using insecticides
Solar panels can’t operate efficiently if they’re caked in dirt, but cleaning them regularly can become a time-consuming process. Engineers in Germany have now developed an ultra-thin coating that can make solar panels and other surfaces self-cleaning…. Continue reading Ultra-thin coating makes for self-cleaning solar panels
Farmers will often place sheets of plastic on the ground along their crop rows, in order to help hold moisture in the soil. According to a new study, however, the use of wax-coated sand may be a cheaper and greener way to go.Continue ReadingCategory: S… Continue reading Could wax-coated sand replace plastic mulch in farmers’ fields?