Collaborate Disseminate
Graphene is a bit like the Novak Djokovic of materials – it’s so damn talented that each new achievement feels passé. But now, an exciting new upstart is challenging graphene’s title. Meet goldene, a two-dimensional sheet of gold that has its own stran… Continue reading Goldene: New 2D form of gold makes graphene look boring
We humans like to think we’re so clever, but in many cases nature has beaten us to the punch with a better version. The newest example comes from a humble insect that’s probably in your own backyard, which makes nanoscale soccer balls that hide it from… Continue reading Common bug’s tiny, complex balls bestow UV-blocking superpowers
Scraping ice off your car window might get a lot easier in the future thanks to a new spray coating developed by scientists in Austria. That’s because of the way the molecules line up – or don’t – during its high-tech creation process.Continue ReadingC… Continue reading Molecular chaos powers potent ice-busting coating
A plane wing that changes shape in flight to better handle the airflow crossing it could be on the horizon thanks to a materials science advance from researchers in Stockholm. The trick involves the melting and hole-punching power of lasers.Continue Re… Continue reading Laser-based morphing could lead to self-optimizing airplane wings
Prepare for a radical acceleration in technological development. A Google Deepmind AI has achieved “an order-of-magnitude expansion in stable materials known to humanity,” finding about 800 years’ worth of new materials with revolutionary potential.Con… Continue reading Deepmind AI tool catapults materials science 800 years into the future
Scientists have found that a “superatomic” material is the fastest and most efficient semiconductor ever. Taking advantage of a tortoise-and-hare mechanism, the new material can transport energy much faster than silicon.Continue ReadingCategory: Electr… Continue reading “Superatomic” material beats silicon for fastest semiconductor ever
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
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
Scientists in Japan have developed an intriguing new glue that can basically be switched on and off on demand. The adhesive sticks together when hit with one wavelength of light, and breaks apart with another, allowing it to be removed and reused easil… Continue reading New adhesive can be switched on and off on demand, even underwater
Plastic is one of the most useful materials in our modern world, but unfortunately it’s also one of the worst in a sustainability sense. Now, scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed a way to engineer bacteria to produce raw materials that can be made… Continue reading Bacteria recruited to build endlessly recyclable plastic