Collaborate Disseminate
Researchers at Stanford University recently came up with an interesting way (Phys.org summary) to create patterns and colors that emerge when a polymer is exposed to water. Although the paper …read more Continue reading Polymer Skins That Change Color and Texture When Exposed to Water
Plastic has been a revolutionary material over the past century, with an uncountable number of uses and an incredibly low price to boot. Unfortunately, this low cost has led to …read more Continue reading An Inexpensive Way to Break Down Plastic
We’ve all got our favorite hand tools, and while the selection criteria are usually pretty subjective, it usually boils down to a combination of looks and feel. In our opinion, …read more Continue reading Fighting the Scourge of “Screwdriver Mange”
Researchers demonstrate sustainable 3D printing by using poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) solutions (PNIPAM), which speedily and reliably turn solid by undergoing a rapid phase change when in a salt solution. This property has …read more Continue reading Liquid (Reversibly) Solidifies at Room Temperature, Gets Used for 3D Prints
Gels and glasses are on opposite ends of the material spectrum, but engineers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) have developed a new class called “glassy gels” that are both strong and flexible, as well as sticky and self-healing.Continue Readi… Continue reading New “glassy gel” materials are strangely strong, stretchy and sticky
Way to rub it in, guys. As it turns out, due to family and work obligations we won’t be able to see the next Great American Eclipse, at least not …read more Continue reading Hackaday Links: March 24, 2024
Even when it’s ground into microparticles, 97% of an algae-based plastic biodegrades in compost and water in under seven months, a new study has reported. The researchers hope their plastic will eventually replace existing petroleum-based ones, which h… Continue reading “First plastic demonstrated to not create microplastics” has been tested
Researchers have developed a product that reduces hair’s moisture-absorbing tendencies, maintaining frizz-free curls for at least six hours in high-humidity environments and even allowing them to bounce back thanks to its shape-memory properties.Contin… Continue reading Shape-memory hair product keeps curls curly even in 80% humidity
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
Concrete may seem strong and permanent, but it can be surprisingly vulnerable to the elements. Now researchers at Drexel University have demonstrated a type of self-healing concrete embedded with “BioFibers” that use bacteria to patch up cracks as they… Continue reading Self-healing concrete patches up cracks with dormant bacteria