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Materials Science - Physics - 29.07.2021

Simulated microgravity system created to experiment with materials
Crystallization studies conducted in space laboratories, which are costly and unaffordable for most research laboratories, showed the valuable effects of microgravity during the crystal growth process and the morphogenesis of materials. Now, a research study led by a scientific team of the University of Barcelona, has created an easy and efficient method to achieve experimentation conditions of microgravity on Earth that simulate those in space.

Physics - Materials Science - 29.07.2021

Spin-sonics: Acoustic wave gets the electrons spinning: Team of researchers first to demonstrate spin of a nano-sonic wave
A team of German and American researchers from Augsburg, Münster, Edmonton, West Lafayette and Munich have detected the rolling movement of a nano-acoustic wave predicted by the famous physicist and Nobel prize-winner Lord Rayleigh in 1885. In a study published in the journal "Science Advances", the researchers use a nanowire inside which electrons are forced onto circular paths by the spin of the acoustic wave.

Materials Science - Health - 27.07.2021

First synthetic tissue model developed in which blood vessels can grow
Researchers investigate which material properties support vessel formation / Study published in the journal "Nature Communications" Using lab-created tissue to heal or replace damaged organs is one of the great visions for the future of medicine. Synthetic materials could be suitable as scaffolding for tissue because, unlike natural tissues, they remain stable in the organism long enough for the body to form new natural structures.

Materials Science - Physics - 20.07.2021

Plasma tech could replace one of world’s rarest materials
New plasma coating technology could see the phase-out of rare earth metal indium that is used in smartphone glass and dimmable windows, which is predicted to run out in 10 years. A team led by a researcher from the University of Sydney has developed a low-cost, sustainable, and readily available technology that can dim the screens of electronic devices, anti-reflection automobile mirrors, and smart architectural windows at a fraction of the cost of current technology.  It would replace one of the world's scarcest - yet highly ubiquitous in use - modern materials: indium.

Materials Science - Economics / Business - 15.07.2021

Filled energy saving bar
Insulation webs are essential in aluminum window profiles and facades for good thermal insulation. researchers and their partners have been working for some time on a novel "sandwich" product with an environmentally friendly filling: recycled material from PET bottles. Now the market launch is approaching - with good prospects of success.

Materials Science - 07.07.2021

Soft shell makes hard ceramic less likely to shatter
Rice lab shows complex, 3D-printed schwarzites withstand pressure when coated A thin shell of soft polymer can help keep knotty ceramic structures from shattering, according to materials scientists at Rice University. Ceramics made with 3D printers crack under stress like any plate or bowl. But covered in a soft polymer cured under ultraviolet light, the same materials stand a far better chance of keeping their structural integrity, much like a car windshield's treated glass is less likely to shatter.

Physics - Materials Science - 29.06.2021

This Crystal Impurity Is Sheer Perfection
Scientists at Berkeley Lab, UC Berkeley design 3D-grown material that could speed up production of new technologies for smart buildings and robotics Crystallization is one of the most fundamental processes found in nature - and it's what gives minerals, gems, metals, and even proteins their structure.

Computer Science - Materials Science - 29.06.2021

’Edge of chaos’ opens pathway to artificial intelligence discoveries
Some neuroscience theories suggest the human brain operates best 'at the edge of chaos'. Now scientists in Australia and Japan have found that keeping a nanowire network at the edge of becoming chaotic is the best state for it to produce useful results. Scientists at the University of Sydney and Japan's National Institute for Materials Science ( NIMS ) have discovered that an artificial network of nanowires can be tuned to respond in a brain-like way when electrically stimulated.

Environment - Materials Science - 25.06.2021

Crown ethers improve perovskite solar cell stability
Scientists have used an unprecedented method with multimodal host-guest complexation to greatly improve the stability of perovskite solar cells while also reducing the release of lead into the environment. Perovskites are hybrid compounds made from metal halides and organic constituents, and show great potential in a range of applications, e.g. LED lights, lasers, and photodetectors.

Materials Science - Physics - 24.06.2021

Nano-Architected Material Resists Impact Better Than Kevlar
Thinner than a human hair, new material can absorb impacts from microparticles traveling at supersonic speeds Engineers at Caltech, MIT, and ETH Zürich have developed a nano-architected material made from tiny carbon struts that is, pound for pound, more effective at stopping a projectile than Kevlar, a material commonly used in personal protective gear.

Materials Science - Physics - 23.06.2021

Low-cost imaging technique shows how smartphone batteries could charge in minutes
Researchers have developed a simple lab-based technique that allows them to look inside lithium-ion batteries and follow lithium ions moving in real time as the batteries charge and discharge, something which has not been possible until now. This technique could be an important piece of the puzzle in the development of next-generation batteries Christoph Schnedermann Using the low-cost technique, the researchers identified the speed-limiting processes which, if addressed, could enable the batteries in most smartphones and laptops to charge in as little as five minutes.

Environment - Materials Science - 23.06.2021

Harvesting drinking water from humidity around the clock
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a condenser for countries where water is in short supply. Theirs is the first zero-energy solution for harvesting water from the atmosphere throughout the 24-hour daily cycle. It relies on a self-cooling surface and a special radiation shield. Fresh water is scarce in many parts of the world and must be obtained at great expense.

Physics - Materials Science - 23.06.2021

Argonne National Laboratory celebrates 75 years of scientific discovery
The nation's first national lab continues to make breakthroughs across science, engineering Argonne National Laboratory traces its birth from a secret mission-the Manhattan Project during World War II-to create the world's first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.

Physics - Materials Science - 21.06.2021

Solar energy collectors grown from seeds
Engineers create seeds for growing near-perfect 2D perovskite crystals Rice University engineers have created microscopic seeds for growing remarkably uniform 2D perovskite crystals that are both stable and highly efficient at harvesting electricity from sunlight. Rice University chemical engineering graduate student Siraj Sidhik holds a container of 2D perovskite "seeds” (left) and a smaller vial containing a solution of dissolved seeds that can be used to produce thin films for use in highly efficient optoelectronic devices like high efficiency solar panels.

Materials Science - 18.06.2021

Revisiting Steel
Carnegie Mellon University Advanced research allows CMU team to lower carbon footprint while accessing unique metallic properties For as long as humanity has been using steel, one would think that we know everything there is to know about making it. Well, we don't, as evidenced by the interest in the research paper, "A Review of Steel Processing Considerations for Oxide Cleanliness." It was one of the top-10 most-downloaded papers from the journal Metallurgical and Materials Transactions 50 th Anniversary Collection in 2020.

Physics - Materials Science - 17.06.2021

Tailored laser fields reveal properties of transparent crystals
Research team led by the University of Göttingen investigates surface magnetisation The surface of a material often has properties that are very different from the properties within the material. For example, a non-conducting crystal, which actually exhibits no magnetism, can show magnetisation restricted to its surface because of the way the atoms are arranged there.

Physics - Materials Science - 17.06.2021

Using DNA For Tiny Tech
Carnegie Mellon University Ph.D. candidate Tito Babatunde and her advisors combine expertise to optimize designs for DNA origami nanostructures When it comes to creating nanotechnology, one cannot simply build it with their hands. Instead, researchers need something nano-sized that is able to self-assemble.

Life Sciences - Materials Science - 16.06.2021

Genetically Engineered Nanoparticle Delivers Dexamethasone Directly to Inflamed Lungs
Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed immune cell-mimicking nanoparticles that target inflammation in the lungs and deliver drugs directly where they're needed. As a proof of concept, the researchers filled the nanoparticles with the drug dexamethasone and administered them to mice with inflamed lung tissue.

Materials Science - 16.06.2021

Honeycomb plastics offer a PEEK into future of smart prosthetic design
A new form of lightweight, impact-resistant plastic-based 'honeycomb' structures which can sense when they have been damaged could find use in new forms of 'smart' prosthetics and medical implants, its inventors suggest. In a new paper published today in the journal Materials & Design , a University of Glasgow-led team of engineers describe how they have used 3D printing techniques to add new properties to a plastic known as polyether ether ketone, or PEEK.

Physics - Materials Science - 14.06.2021

Oxygen loss saps a lithium-ion battery’s voltage
Measuring the process in unprecedented detail gives them clues to how to minimize the problem and protect battery performance. When lithium ions flow in and out of a battery electrode during charging and discharging, a tiny bit of oxygen seeps out and the battery's voltage - a measure of how much energy it delivers - fades an equally tiny bit.