Collaborate Disseminate
Ice wreaks havoc on surfaces, but we might have a new way to prevent it building up. Scientists at Northwestern University have shown that textured surfaces with thin layers of graphene oxide can stay completely frost-free for long periods.Continue Rea… Continue reading Leaf-inspired graphene surfaces repel frost formation for a week
Limescale buildup in thermal power plants due to the use of hot water can substantially affect efficiency, prompting researchers to develop a novel soft hydrogel-based surface coating that repels limescale crystals and prevents them from adhering.Conti… Continue reading Novel coating repels limescale to improve thermal power plant efficiency
Limescale buildup in thermal power plants due to the use of hot water can substantially affect efficiency, prompting researchers to develop a novel soft hydrogel-based surface coating that repels limescale crystals and prevents them from adhering.Conti… Continue reading Novel coating repels limescale to improve thermal power plant efficiency
Preventing or clearing ice build-up on surfaces is a major winter problem, as areas of the southern US are currently experiencing. Scientists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have now developed a new thin film coating m… Continue reading Gold nanorod films clear surfaces of ice – just add sunlight
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
It’s common knowledge that lighter colors reflect more light than darker ones, which can limit the practical palette choices for your clothes, car or house in a warming world. Now, scientists have developed a new material, inspired by butterfly wings, … Continue reading Vibrantly colored film could massively passively cool cars and buildings
Engineers at the University of Minnesota have developed a new system that can move objects without making physical contact. The technique involves ultrasound waves acting on specialized surfaces to push or even pull objects in different directions, whi… Continue reading Ultrasound metasurfaces move large objects without touching them
Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories and the Max Planck Institute have developed a way to produce a web of quantum entangled photons using a far more simple setup than usual. The key is a precisely patterned surface 100 times thinner than paper, … Continue reading Ultrathin metasurface produces web of quantum entangled photons
Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a simple new way to make materials with intricate nanoscale textures on their surfaces, all inspired by nature. Different patterns can have a range of applications, like making antimicrobial surface… Continue reading Nature-inspired nanotextures pop superbugs, help ships cut through water