A University of British Columbia engineer and a team of U.S. researchers have made a breakthrough utilizing spray-on technology that could revolutionize the way optical lenses are made and used.   Kenneth Chau, an...[more]

Meeting the demand for more data storage in smaller volumes means using materials made up of ever-smaller magnets, or nanomagnets. One promising material for a potential new generation of recording media is an alloy of iron and...[more]

Adding ionic liquid to nanotube films could build smaller gadgets, and create more cost effective “Smart Windows” that darken in bright sun.   The atom-sized world of carbon nanotubes holds great promise for a future...[more]

Northwestern University scientists have struck gold in the laboratory. They have discovered an inexpensive and environmentally benign method that uses simple cornstarch -- instead of cyanide -- to isolate gold from raw...[more]

The redesigned newsletter MATERIALCARDS WEEKLY of Materialsgate communicates new materials and innovative product developments focusing the needs of all material-based industries. The contents are tailored to the interests of...[more]

Researchers have discovered a technique for controlling the sensitivity of graphene chemical sensors.   The sensors, made of an insulating base coated with a graphene sheet--a single-atom-thick layer of carbon--are...[more]

Researchers have created a new tool to detect flaws in lithium-ion batteries as they are being manufactured, a step toward reducing defects and inconsistencies in the thickness of electrodes that affect battery life and...[more]

University of Illinois researchers have developed a new way to produce highly uniform nanocrystals used for both fundamental and applied nanotechnology projects. “We have developed a unique approach for the synthesis of...[more]

Thermoelectric materials can be used to turn waste heat into electricity or to provide refrigeration without any liquid coolants, and a research team from the University of Michigan has found a way to nearly double the...[more]

A Rice University laboratory’s cagey strategy turns negatively charged carbon nanotubes into liquid crystals that could enhance the creation of fibers and films.   The latest step toward making macro materials out of...[more]

Scientists at Princeton University used off-the-shelf printing tools to create a functional ear that can "hear" radio frequencies far beyond the range of normal human capability.   The researchers' primary...[more]

Rice University researchers say discovery may point toward self-healing materials   Squeeze a piece of silicone and it quickly returns to its original shape, as squishy as ever. But scientists at Rice University have...[more]

Using bundles of vertical zinc oxide nanowires, researchers have fabricated arrays of piezotronic transistors capable of converting mechanical motion directly into electronic controlling signals. The arrays could help give...[more]

Wake Forest University's Organic Electronics group has developed an organic semiconductor 'spray paint' that can be applied to large surface areas without losing electric conductivity   Researchers at Wake Forest...[more]

University of Nebraska-Lincoln materials engineers have developed a structural nanofiber that is both strong and tough, a discovery that could transform everything from airplanes and bridges to body armor and bicycles. Their...[more]

When a team of University of Illinois engineers set out to grow nanowires of a compound semiconductor on top of a sheet of graphene, they did not expect to discover a new paradigm of epitaxy.   The self-assembled wires...[more]

Inexpensive tactile sensing technology builds on tiny barometer chips that are widely available   What use is a hand without nerves, that can't tell what it's holding? A hand that lifts a can of soda to your lips, but...[more]

Unique properties of graphene and graphExeter combine to create a new flexible, transparent, photosensitive device   Smart electronics are taking the world by storm. From techno-textiles to transparent electronic...[more]

Throughout decades of research on solar cells, one formula has been considered an absolute limit to the efficiency of such devices in converting sunlight into electricity: Called the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit, it...[more]

Though they be but little, they are fierce. The most powerful batteries on the planet are only a few millimeters in size, yet they pack such a punch that a driver could use a cellphone powered by these batteries to jump-start a...[more]

OLEDs – thin, light-emitting surfaces – are regarded as the light sources of the future. White OLEDs consist of stacked, ultra-thin layers, each emitting its own light color, all together resulting in white light. Up to now it...[more]

Discovery could provide rapid power to small devices, large industrial equipment   Taking a significant step toward improving the power delivery of systems ranging from urban electrical grids to regenerative braking in...[more]

A new chemical process can transform waste sulfur into a lightweight plastic that may improve batteries for electric cars, reports a University of Arizona-led team. The new plastic has other potential uses, including optical...[more]

Thin Layer of Germanium May Replace Silicon in Semiconductors   The same material that formed the first primitive transistors more than 60 years ago can be modified in a new way to advance future electronics, according...[more]

Hanyang University in collaboration with Stanford University has succeeded in fabricating peel-and-stick thin film solar cells (TFSCs). The Si wafer is clean and reusable.   Moreover, as the peeled-off TFSCs from the Si...[more]

Tunable material system designed by Harvard team is easily adaptable for diverse applications in fuel transport, textiles, optical systems, and more   Imagine a tent that blocks light on a dry and sunny day, and becomes...[more]

Scientists today described key advances toward practical uses of a new genre of tiny, biocompatible electronic devices that could be implanted into the body to relieve pain or battle infection for a specific period of time, and...[more]

More powerful batteries could help electric cars achieve a considerably larger range and thus a breakthrough on the market. A new nanomaterial for lithium ion batteries developed in the labs of chemists at ETH Zurich and Empa...[more]

A custom-built programmable 3D printer can create materials with several of the properties of living tissues, Oxford University scientists have demonstrated.   The new type of material consists of thousands of connected...[more]

A specially-adapted 'tactile helmet', developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield, could provide fire-fighters operating in challenging conditions with vital clues about their surroundings.   The helmet is...[more]

Graphene, the single-atom-thick form of carbon, has become famous for its extraordinary strength. But less-than-perfect sheets of the material show unexpected weakness, according to researchers at Rice University in Houston and...[more]

A Stanford team has designed an entirely new form of cooling panel that works even when the sun is shining. Such a panel could vastly improve the daylight cooling of buildings, cars and other structures by radiating sunlight...[more]

Solar cells are just like leaves, capturing the sunlight and turning it into energy. It’s fitting that they can now be made partially from trees.   Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University researchers have...[more]

Rice lab finds vanadium oxide/graphene material works well for lithium-ion storage   Hybrid ribbons of vanadium oxide (VO2) and graphene may accelerate the development of high-power lithium-ion batteries suitable for...[more]

Scientists from the Nano-Science Center at the Niels Bohr Institut, Denmark and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, have shown that a single nanowire can concentrate the sunlight up to 15 times of the...[more]

Carbon nanotubes can be used as quantum bits for quantum computers. A study by physicists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) has shown how nanotubes can store information in the form of vibrations. Up to now,...[more]

Nonvolatile memory that can store data even when not powered is currently used for portable electronics such as smart phones, tablets, and laptop computers.   Flash memory is a dominant technology in this field, but its...[more]

University of Oregon chemists have synthesized organic molecular structures that move both positive and negative electrical charges -- a highly desired but often difficult combination to achieve in current efforts to create...[more]

New optical technologies using "metasurfaces" capable of the ultra-efficient control of light are nearing commercialization, with potential applications including advanced solar cells, computers, telecommunications,...[more]

Kansas State University civil engineers are developing the right mix to reduce concrete's carbon footprint and make it stronger. Their innovative ingredient: biofuel byproducts. "The idea is to use bioethanol production...[more]

A recent breakthrough by scientists from NUS and University College Cork may mean the arrival of highly energy-efficient smart phones and tablets that can last up to 10 times their usual life.   A group headed by...[more]

Imagine that the chips in your smart phone or computer could repair and defend themselves on the fly, recovering in microseconds from problems ranging from less-than-ideal battery power to total transistor failure.   It...[more]

A new technique developed by University of Toronto Engineering Professor Ted Sargent and his research group could lead to significantly more efficient solar cells, according to a recent paper published in the journal Nano...[more]

Understanding the source and orientation of light in light-emitting thin films — now possible with energy-momentum spectroscopy — could lead to better LEDs, solar cells, and other devices that use layered...[more]

Researchers have shown theoretically how to control or eliminate the formation of "dendrites" that cause lithium-ion batteries to fail, an advance that if realized would improve safety and might enable the batteries...[more]

New analysis points the way to optimizing efficiency of an integrated system for harvesting sunlight to make storable fuel.   Bringing the concept of an “artificial leaf” closer to reality, a team of researchers at MIT...[more]

Suppose you could replace “Made in China” with “Made in my garage.” Suppose also that every time you polished off a jug of two percent, you would be stocking up on raw material to make anything from a cell phone case and golf...[more]

The rechargeable battery can stretch, twist and bend -- and return to normal shape Northwestern University's Yonggang Huang and the University of Illinois' John A. Rogers are the first to demonstrate a stretchable...[more]

Method allows direct detection of rapid fluctuations that may help to explain how high-temperature superconducting materials work.   While the phenomenon of superconductivity — in which some materials lose all resistance...[more]

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a way to melt or “weld” specific portions of polymers by embedding aligned nanoparticles within the materials. Their technique, which melts fibers along a chosen...[more]

New technique developed by MIT researchers provides first direct views of how drops and bubbles adhere to surfaces — and how they let go.   Understanding exactly how droplets and bubbles stick to surfaces — everything...[more]

Fluorescent light traveling through polymer sheet may lead to user interface devices that respond to gestures...[more]

Artificial atoms and bonds provide a new set of building blocks for future materials Northwestern University's Chad A. Mirkin, a world-renowned leader in nanotechnology research and its application, has developed a completely...[more]

In a sweeping review of the field of bio-inspired engineering and biomimicry in the Feb. 15 issue of the journal Science, two engineers at the University of California, San Diego, identify three characteristics of biological...[more]

Material could be used in fabrics and water purification   Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology have discovered an antibacterial polymer that can be used in everyday products such as sportswear, diapers and...[more]

New design uses silicon nanoparticles to improve capacity and recharge more quickly Researchers at USC have developed a new lithium-ion battery design that uses porous silicon nanoparticles in place of the traditional...[more]

Researcher designs program to predict role posture may play in reducing head, neck injuries   “Sit up straight in your chair!”   That command given by countless parents to their children may one day be delivered by...[more]

Researchers in Japan have developed a way to detect caesium contamination on a scale of millimetres enabling the detection of small areas of radioactive contamination. The research is published in Science and Technology of...[more]

Researchers at Ruhr University have used self-assembling techniques to produce gold microwires that have suitable properties for micro-Velcro. The research is published today in Science and Technology of Advanced...[more]

Researcher and team are the first to measure all of the elastic properties of an intact spider's web, drawing a remarkable picture of the behavior of one of nature’s most intriguing structures. The work could lead to new...[more]

For the first time, scientists have created single layers of a naturally occurring rare mineral called tungstenite, or WS2. The resulting sheet of stacked sulfur and tungsten atoms forms a honeycomb pattern of triangles that...[more]

A new way of growing graphene without the defects that weaken it and prevent electrons from flowing freely within it could open the way to large-scale manufacturing of graphene-based devices with applications in fields such as...[more]

Engineered enzyme increases output of alkanes, possible replacement for key component of gasoline   Scientists studying an enzyme that naturally produces alkanes -- long carbon-chain molecules that could be a direct...[more]

A new optical prescription for automobile side-view mirrors may eliminate the dreaded "blind spot" in traffic without distorting the perceived distance of cars approaching from behind. As described in a paper...[more]

A new organic 'ferroelectric,' economical and with low environmental impact, has been created   The electronics industry has a remarkable impact on the environment, yet research is devising new solutions to reduce it....[more]

A team of materials scientists at Harvard University and the University of Exeter, UK, have invented a new fiber that changes color when stretched. Inspired by nature, the researchers identified and replicated the unique...[more]

Geometric pattern maximizes time light is trapped in solar cell   The sun’s energy is virtually limitless, but harnessing its electricity with today’s single-crystal silicon solar cells is extremely expensive — 10 times...[more]

A new way of making crystalline silicon, developed by U-M researchers, could make this crucial ingredient of computers and solar cells much cheaper and greener.   Silicon dioxide, or sand, makes up about 40 percent of...[more]

Duke University engineers are layering atom-thick lattices of carbon with polymers to create unique materials with a broad range of applications, including artificial muscles.   The lattice, known as graphene, is made of...[more]

Looking toward improved batteries for charging electric cars and storing energy from renewable but intermittent solar and wind, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed the first high-performance,...[more]

New technology could help power portable devices like satellite phones and radios   In a series of experiments, the scientists created spherical silicon particles about 10 nanometers in diameter. When combined with...[more]

Researchers TU/e together with researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), have developed a special treatment for cotton fabric that allows the cotton to absorb exceptional amounts of water from misty air: 340...[more]

Duke University engineers have developed a novel sensor that is more efficient, versatile and cheaper for potential use in such applications as airport security scanners and collision avoidance systems for aircraft, cars or...[more]

In an advance toward stain-proof, spill-proof clothing, protective garments and other products that shrug off virtually every liquid — from blood and ketchup to concentrated acids — scientists are reporting development of new...[more]

Researchers at North Carolina State University have come up with a technique to embed needle-like carbon nanofibers in an elastic membrane, creating a flexible “bed of nails” on the nanoscale that opens the door to development...[more]

Why are efficient and affordable solar cells so highly coveted? Volume. The amount of solar energy lighting up Earth's land mass every year is nearly 3,000 times the total amount of annual human energy use.   But to...[more]

Rice University’s latest nanotechnology breakthrough was more than 10 years in the making, but it still came with a shock. Scientists from Rice, the Dutch firm Teijin Aramid, the U.S. Air Force and Israel’s Technion Institute...[more]

Pitt researchers uncover a synthetic material that rebuilds itself through chemical communication   Self-moving gels can give synthetic materials the ability to “act alive” and mimic primitive biological communication,...[more]

An autonomous system for exploring the solar system's smaller members, such as moons and asteroids, could bring us closer to a human mission to Mars.   Stanford researchers, in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion...[more]

Chemists at the University of California, Davis, have engineered blue-green algae to grow chemical precursors for fuels and plastics -- the first step in replacing fossil fuels as raw materials for the chemical...[more]

New design for a basic component of all computer chips boasts the highest 'carry mobility' yet measured   Almost all computer chips use two types of transistors: one called p-type, for positive, and one called n-type,...[more]

Johns Hopkins to begin decontaminating isolation rooms with robotic, vapor-dispersing devices Infection control experts at The Johns Hopkins Hospital have found that a combination of robot-like devices that disperse a...[more]

Industries across Europe are threatened with shutdown as European Union emission rules for Volatile Organic Compounds are tightened. Now an air cleaning invention from the University of Copenhagen has proven its ability to...[more]

Researchers at the University of Jaen (Spain) have mixed waste from the paper industry with ceramic material used in the construction industry. The result is a brick that has low thermal conductivity meaning it acts as a good...[more]

Researchers at Aldrich Materials Science, a strategic technology initiative of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation have discovered an innovative way to design an important class of three-dimensional (3D) hybrid structures, Metal Organic...[more]

Decal-like application process allows thin, flexible solar panels to be applied to virtually any surface   For all their promise, solar cells have frustrated scientists in one crucial regard – most are rigid. They must...[more]

Research at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden and Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden has resulted in a new type of machine that sorts used batteries by means of artificial intelligence (AI). One machine is now being...[more]

Researchers from North Carolina State University have created conductive wires that can be stretched up to eight times their original length while still functioning. The wires can be used for everything from headphones to phone...[more]

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California, Berkeley, have developed an elegant and powerful new microscale actuator that can...[more]

On the road to smaller, high-performance electronics, University of Illinois researchers have smoothed one speed bump by shrinking a key, yet notoriously large element of integrated circuits. Three-dimensional rolled-up...[more]

A new study of the batteries commonly used in hybrid and electric-only cars has revealed an unexpected factor that could limit the performance of batteries currently on the road.   Researchers led by Ohio State...[more]

Extract of madder plant works as environmentally friendly lithium-ion cathode   Here’s a reason to be glad about madder: The climbing plant has the potential to make a greener rechargeable battery.   Scientists at...[more]

Berkeley Lab Researchers Develop Real-Time CT-Scan Test Rig For Ceramic Composites at Ultrahigh Temperatures   Advanced ceramic composites can withstand the ultrahigh operational temperatures projected for hypersonic jet...[more]

Caltech engineers invent light-focusing device that may lead to applications in computing, communications, and imaging   As technology advances, it tends to shrink. From cell phones to laptops—powered by increasingly...[more]

Princeton researchers have found a simple and economic way to nearly triple the efficiency of organic solar cells, the cheap and flexible plastic devices that many scientists believe could be the future of solar...[more]

For the first time, a silicon-based optical fiber with solar-cell capabilities has been developed that has been shown to be scalable to many meters in length. The research opens the door to the possibility of weaving together...[more]

Interdisciplinary Study From Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Demonstrates New Method for Significantly Increasing Heat Transfer Rate Across Two Different Materials   A team of interdisciplinary researchers at...[more]

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Ames Laboratory have discovered new ways of using a well-known polymer in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), which could eliminate the need for an increasingly problematic...[more]

MIT researchers find that adding a coating of graphene has little effect on how a surface interacts with liquids — except in extreme cases.   The amazing electrical, optical and strength properties of graphene, a...[more]

Say goodbye to that annoying buzz created by overhead fluorescent light bulbs in your office. Scientists at Wake Forest University have developed a flicker-free, shatterproof alternative for large-scale lighting.   The...[more]

Researchers synthesize a new kind of silk fiber — and find that music can help fine-tune the material’s properties.   Pound for pound, spider silk is one of the strongest materials known: Research by MIT’s Markus Buehler...[more]

It is merely the arrangement of the carbon that makes it look so different. Highly ordered carbon makes a hard gemstone, incoherent and powdery carbon is more appropriate for a barbecue or writing letters.   High...[more]

Electronic circuits are typically integrated in rigid silicon wafers, but flexibility opens up a wide range of applications.  In a world where electronics are becoming more pervasive, flexibility is a highly desirable...[more]

Mathematical methods developed by a Berkeley Lab researcher help explain why liquid metals have wildly different breaking points, depending on how they are made   Metallic glass alloys (or liquid metals) are three times...[more]

Zeolites are minerals with a microporous structure. This makes them attractive as catalysts in industrial applications. Unfortunately, creating synthetic zeolites is very complex.   Researchers at KU Leuven, Ghent...[more]

For the very first time researchers have streamed braille patterns directly into a blind patient's retina, allowing him to read four-letter words accurately and quickly with an ocular neuroprosthetic device.   The...[more]

Scotch tape, a versatile household staple and a mainstay of holiday gift-wrapping, may have a new scientific application as a shape-changing "smart material."   Researchers used a laser to form slender...[more]

To help planes fly safely through cold, wet, and icy conditions, a team of Japanese scientists has developed a new super water-repellent surface that can prevent ice from forming in these harsh atmospheric conditions. Unlike...[more]

By fabricating graphene structures atop nanometer-scale "steps" etched into silicon carbide, researchers have for the first time created a substantial electronic bandgap in the material suitable for room-temperature...[more]

These more durable gels could find applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering.   Gels that can be injected into the body, carrying drugs or cells that regenerate damaged tissue, hold promise for treating many...[more]

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico are comparing supercomputer simulations of blast waves on the brain with clinical studies of veterans suffering from mild traumatic brain injuries...[more]

One of the most promising innovations of nanotechnology has been the ability to perform rapid nanofabrication using nanometer-scale tips. The fabrication speed can be dramatically increased by using heat. High speed and high...[more]

A team of Stanford chemists and engineers has created the first synthetic material that is both sensitive to touch and capable of healing itself quickly and repeatedly at room temperature. The advance could lead to smarter...[more]

Researchers at Aalto University, Finland have developed a method for producing lithium batteries that is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than previously used methods. This new process has succeeded in replacing the...[more]

EPFL scientists are producing hydrogen from sunlight, water and rust - They're paving the way for an economic and ecological solution for storing renewable energy   How can solar energy be stored so that it can be...[more]

For the first time, researchers power an implantable electronic device using an electrical potential — a natural battery — deep in the inner ear.   Deep in the inner ear of mammals is a natural battery — a chamber filled...[more]

A long-abandoned fermentation process once used to turn starch into explosives can be used to produce renewable diesel fuel to replace the fossil fuels now used in transportation, University of California, Berkeley, scientists...[more]

There has been great advancements in the development of the high-strength steel and the need for additional enhancements continue to grow. Various industries have a need for structural components that are lighter and stronger,...[more]

Vortex beams, rotating like a tornado, offer completely new possibilities for electron microscopy. A method of producing extremely intense vortex beams has been discovered at the Vienna University of Technology (TU...[more]

'Crushed' porous silicon anodes show dramatic increase in charge-discharge cycles   Researchers at Rice University have refined silicon-based lithium-ion technology by literally crushing their previous work to make a...[more]

Materials scientists have developed a simple, robust way to fabricate carbon-free and polymer-free, lightweight colloidal films for lithium-ion battery electrodes, which could greatly improve battery performance.   By...[more]

Fuel cells, which convert fuel directly into electricity without burning it, promise a less polluted future where cars run on pure hydrogen and exhaust nothing but water vapor. But the catalysts that make them work are still...[more]

There are thousands of silver artifacts in museum collections around the world, and keeping them shiny is a constant challenge. So scientists are using new technology to give conservators a helping hand.   A team of...[more]

The fabrication of many objects, machines, and devices around us rely on the controlled deformation of metals by industrial processes such as bending, shearing, and stamping. Is this technology transferrable to nanoscale? Can...[more]

Optimised fire-resistant clothing to help protect against circulatory collapse   According to a study from 2003, 49% of fatalities amongst fire-fighters in the USA were attributable to heat stress.* Based on this study...[more]

New membranes may filter water or separate biological samples.   Much has been made of graphene’s exceptional qualities, from its ability to conduct heat and electricity better than any other material to its unparalleled...[more]

MIT researchers find that lubricated, nanotextured surfaces improved performance of condensers in power and desalination plants.   Condensers are a crucial part of today’s power generation systems: About 80 percent of...[more]

University of Nevada, Reno research team finds elusive self-healing formulation for defense,...[more]

A team of researchers from the University of Florida department of chemistry has developed a new technique for growing new materials from nanorods.   Materials with enhanced properties engineered from nanostructures have...[more]

Caltech researchers engineer microscale optical...[more]

The colors of a butterfly’s wings are unusually bright and beautiful and are the result of an unusual trait; the way they reflect light is fundamentally different from how color works most of the time.   A team of...[more]

Making uniform coatings is a common engineering challenge, and, when working at the nanoscale, even the tiniest cracks or defects can be a big problem. New research from University of Pennsylvania engineers has shown a new...[more]

+ + + New types of sandwich panels generate tailor-made property profiles + + + Future composites come without resins and adhesives + + + Innovative material concept sets top marks in terms of recyclability + +...[more]

Researchers from North Carolina State University have created flower-like structures out of germanium sulfide (GeS) – a semiconductor material – that have extremely thin petals with an enormous surface area. The GeS flower...[more]

New low-cost, durable carbon nanotube sensors can be etched with mechanical pencils.   Carbon nanotubes offer a powerful new way to detect harmful gases in the environment. However, the methods typically used to build...[more]

Robots are increasingly being used in place of humans to explore hazardous and difficult-to-access environments, but they aren’t yet able to interact with their environments as well as humans. If today’s most sophisticated...[more]

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique that allows users to better determine the amount of charge remaining in a battery in real time. That’s good news for electric vehicle drivers,...[more]

equip this transparent and lightweight composite material with effective sound insulation functions.   Materialsgate: Materials Consulting & Materials Investigation   The database "MaterialCards" of...[more]

Scientists are describing what may be a "complete solution" to cleaning up oil spills — a superabsorbent material that sops up 40 times its own weight in oil and then can be shipped to an oil refinery and processed to...[more]

Less Costly Ways of Sequencing DNA Could Open New Possibilities for Disease Prevention   Engineers at The University of Texas at Dallas have used advanced techniques to make the material graphene small enough to read...[more]

For the first time, a team of Australian engineers has modelled the microscopic mechanics of a sea urchin’s spine, gaining insight into how these unusual creatures withstand impacts in their aquatic environment.   The...[more]

Spiders' design mastery allows for webs to stick to the ground and elevated surfaces differently.   While the common house spider may be creepy, it also has been inspiring researchers to find new and better ways to...[more]

FRT MicroScope WLI is the new optical surface measuring system launched by Fries Research & Technology (FRT). Based on an optical microscope, it comes with a full white light interferometer for non-destructive measurement....[more]

Analysis of molecular-level fracture and stress mechanisms could have broad implications for understanding materials’ behavior.   Diving into a pool from a few feet up allows you to enter the water smoothly and...[more]

Flexible, thin and deformable sheets made of metallic foams are a specialty of this company. Designed for high-tech applications these materials provide also interesting possibilities for exciting material transfers....[more]

Images show how nickel, which enhances battery capacity, also appears to hinder charging rates   Anyone who owns an electronic device knows that lithium ion batteries could work better and last longer. Now, scientists...[more]

Under aspects of advanced lightweight constructions this composite material, which is made of a rigid and stabilizing plastic core and outer layers of thin plywood, will provide a convincing property...[more]

Biocomposites challenge chipboard as furniture material. Researchers at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have developed a kitchen furniture framework material from plastic polymers reinforced with natural fibre. The new...[more]

In a study that could lead to advances in the emerging fields of optical computing and nanomaterials, researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology report that a new class of nanoscale slot waveguides pack 100 to...[more]

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have demonstrated a less-expensive way to create textured nickel ferrite (NFO) ceramic thin films, which can easily be scaled up to...[more]

Large hexagonal honeycombs made of aluminum, which are fixed between two translucent plastic panels, give this composite material his expressive, attractive and sophisticated appearance.   Materialsgate: Materials...[more]

Glass is strong enough for so much: windshields, buildings and many other things that need to handle high stress without breaking. But scientists who look at the structure of glass strictly by the numbers believe some of the...[more]

Scientists are reporting development of a revolutionary new lens — flat, distortion-free, so small that more than 1,500 would fit across the width of a human hair — capable in the future of replacing lenses in applications...[more]

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory electronics science and technology engineers demonstrate the ability of single walled carbon nanotube transistors (SWCNTs) to survive the harsh space environment, investigating the effects of...[more]

This self-reinforcing composite provides sustainable features and is based on a mass plastic material. Through the intelligent combination of the matrix and the reinforcement components a thermoplastic material is generated...[more]

Objects created using 3-D printing have a common flaw: They are fragile and often fall apart or lose their shape.   "I have an entire zoo of broken 3-D printed objects in my office," said Bedrich Benes, an...[more]

Researchers have developed new software that can rapidly calculate the carbon footprints of thousands of products simultaneously, a process that up to now has been time consuming and expensive.   The methodology should...[more]

Using ultrasound waves, MIT engineers have found a way to enhance the permeability of skin to drugs, making transdermal drug delivery more efficient. This technology could pave the way for noninvasive drug delivery or...[more]

This translucent, flexible, lightweight and thin plastic film bears the typical characteristics of a snake skin. Moreover, the haptic perceptual structuring of the material surface provides plenty of potential for exciting...[more]

Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a novel technology that can fabricate, in mere seconds, microscale three dimensional (3D) structures out of soft, biocompatible hydrogels.   Near...[more]

Numerous mineral surfaces are highly vulnerable to contamination of different kind due to their porosity. This surface treatment generates an effective hydrophobic character and reduces the surface porosity. These factors will...[more]

An important test is coming up next week to see whether a heat shield made from the soil of the moon, Mars or an asteroid will stand up to the searing demands of a plunge through Earth's atmosphere.   At stake is the...[more]

Mechanical failure of short nanowires is characterized by smooth, ductile deformations, while long nanowires fail catastrophically   Most materials will break when a force is applied to an imperfection in their...[more]

Researchers have discovered a swirling, fluidlike behavior in a solid piece of metal sliding over another, providing new insights into the mechanisms of wear and generation of machined surfaces that could help improve the...[more]

Northwestern University researchers have broken a world record by creating two new synthetic materials with the greatest amount of surface areas reported to date.   Named NU-109 and NU-110, the materials belong to a...[more]

Cold cracking in high-strength steel presents major quality assurance challenges for the automotive and machine-building industries, since cracks are difficult to predict – until now. A new process can determine, as early as...[more]

Elastic and flexible connections between carbon components are of increasing importance for the most different lightweight applications The figure shows an example of an appropriate solution for connecting carbon tubes having...[more]

Biocompatible material created at Harvard is much tougher than cartilage   A team of experts in mechanics, materials science, and tissue engineering at Harvard have created an extremely stretchy and tough gel that may...[more]

Ultra-thin, lightweight and flexible are the right words to describe the property profile of this sturdy plastic film. The fabric-like textured appearance and the fascinating open structure provides an almost three dimensional...[more]

Researchers at Rice University and the Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium, have developed a way to make flexible components for rechargeable lithium-ion (LI) batteries from discarded silicon.   The Rice lab of...[more]

A novel antimicrobial catheter that remains infection-free for up to twelve weeks could dramatically improve the lives of long-term catheter users. The scientists who have developed the new technology are presenting their work...[more]

This ultra-lightweight, ultra-thin and flexible heating sheet is based on the use of special carbon nanomaterials, which are sealed on both sides with a stable and durable fleece. With simple low voltage power supply defined...[more]

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new nanolithography technique that is less expensive than other approaches and can be used to create technologies with biomedical applications.   “Among...[more]

Significant contributions to energy saving and environmental protection can be realized by this intelligent and transparent coating for different glass surfaces. Due to the combination of insulating and reflective properties,...[more]

A Wayne State University researcher has developed technology that opens new possibilities for health care and medical applications of electronic devices. Yong Xu, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in...[more]

Winter is coming! You recognize the pattern of a hand on the textile carrier material? This pattern is functionally essential; it consists of insulated heating wires. In fact, with this technology, the production of heated...[more]

A thin liquid crystal film on gold sheets makes an ultra-compact color filter   Flat panel displays, mobile phones and many digital devices require thin, efficient and low-cost light-emitters for applications. The pixels...[more]

No, made of ceramic! This flexible foil can be formed into almost any shape. After a defined temperature treatment the flexible base material transformes into a solid, hard, translucent and porcelain-like ceramic...[more]

Solar panels, like those commonly perched atop house roofs or in sun-drenched fields, quietly harvesting the sun’s radiant energy, are one of the standard-bearers of the green energy movement. But could they be better – more...[more]

'Cyborg' tissues could merge bioengineering with electronics for drug development, implantable therapeutics   A multi-institutional research team has developed a method for embedding networks of biocompatible nanoscale...[more]

One reason that solar energy has not been widely adopted is because light absorbing materials are not durable. Materials that harvest solar radiation for energy often overheat or degrade over time; this reduces their viability...[more]

This composite consists of a nearly optical dense carbon knit, which is embedded in a thermoplastic matrix material. In addition to its interesting visual appearance, the material impresses with its technical property profile....[more]

Method developed by MIT researchers could produce materials with exceptional strength and other properties. Most metals — from the steel used to build bridges and skyscrapers to the copper and gold used to form wires in...[more]

Engineering Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Use Intentionally Blemished Graphene Paper To Create Easy-To-Make, Quick-Charging Lithium-ion Battery With High Power Density   Engineering researchers at...[more]

Researchers have developed a self-charging power cell that directly converts mechanical energy to chemical energy, storing the power until it is released as electrical current. By eliminating the need to convert mechanical...[more]

Sound insulation is usually realized by additional mass. This would be paradoxical in context of modern light-weight concepts. This company provides innovative and truly lightweight solutions for a variety of carbon-based...[more]

A major improvement in the world’s lightest solid material and best solid insulating material, described here today, may put more of this space-age wonder into insulated clothing, refrigerators with thinner walls that hold...[more]

With a special knitting process it is possible to transform thin, stable and stainless steel wires into tubular, flexible and open-structured parts. The metallic sheen, the interesting structure and the unique materiality...[more]

New process developed at MIT could enable better LED displays, solar cells and biosensors — and foster basic physics research.   Films made of semiconductor nanocrystals — tiny crystals measuring just a few billionths of...[more]

This naturally occurring stone is highly scissile – so this material can be worked into thinnest layers. These layers are so thin that when backlit, the light can pass through the stone and thereby generates impressive visual...[more]

In the August issue of Nature Communications, Professor Ludvig Edman and PhD Andreas Sandström at Umeå University, report that they have produced organic light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) using a roll-to-roll compatible...[more]