Materials Science News

Multi-pixel electroluminescent displays fabricated via replica molding; the device measures 5 mm thick, with each of the 64 pixels measuring 4 mm; it can be deformed and stretched in various ways. Image credit: Organic Robotics Lab at Cornell University.

Researchers Develop Highly Stretchable Electroluminescent ‘Skin’

Mar 4, 2016 by News Staff

A team of scientists led by Dr. Rob Shepherd from Cornell University, Ithaca, has developed an artificial octopus-like skin that can stretch, sense internal...

A time-lapse image of a previously deformed shape-memory network during recovery to its original shape upon contacting a finger in a room temperature environment. The image was obtained by periodic flash exposure over a time period of about 10 seconds. Image credit: J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester.

Researchers Create Unique Shape-Memory Polymer

Feb 12, 2016 by News Staff

A group of scientists at the University of Rochester has created a polymer material that undergoes a shape change that can be triggered by body temperature. A...

The smallest lattice in the world: its struts and braces are 0.2 µm in diameter; total size of the lattice is about 10 µm. Image credit: Jens Bauer / Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Researchers Create Smallest Ever Lattice Structure

Feb 2, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, has created a glassy carbon nanolattice with single struts shorter than 1 μm...

COF-505 is the first 3D covalent organic framework to be made by weaving together helical organic threads. Image credit: Berkeley Lab.

Researchers Create Material with Fabric-Like Woven Nanostructure

Jan 22, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

A 3D covalent organic framework (COF) constructed from helical organic threads, designed to be mutually weaving at regular intervals, has been synthesized...

Nucleation of microdiamond from nanodiamond filaments which were quenched after the formation at 6,740 degrees Fahrenheit. Image credit: Jagdish Narayan / Anagh Bhaumik.

Q-Carbon: Scientists Discover New Allotrope of Carbon

Dec 1, 2015 by News Staff

A team of material scientists in the United States has discovered a novel allotrope of carbon, Q-carbon. Nucleation of microdiamond from nanodiamond filaments...

A 3D structure of hexagonal boron nitride sheets and boron nitride nanotubes could be a tunable material to control heat in gadgets. Image credit: Rouzbeh Shahsavari / Navid Sakhavand / Rice University.

3D Boron Nitride Could Help Keep Gadgets Cool

Jul 16, 2015 by News Staff

A team of researchers at Rice University has completed the first analysis of how 3D boron nitride might be used as a tunable material to control heat flow...

This transparent and photoluminescent nanocellulose paper could lead to sustainable, roll-up electronics. Image credit: American Chemical Society.

Researchers Create Glowing Nanocellulose Paper

May 20, 2015 by News Staff

A team of scientists at Sichuan University in China has developed the first light-emitting, transparent and flexible paper out of environmentally friendly...

Li Zhu et al. created a chameleon-like artificial ‘skin’ that shifts color on demand.

Researchers Create Chameleon-Like Material

Mar 13, 2015 by News Staff

Scientists at the University of California Berkeley have developed a novel material that can change color simply by flexing it. The material offers intriguing...

Scanning electron microscope image of limpet teeth. Image credit: Asa H. Barber et al / University of Portsmouth.

Limpet Teeth are Strongest Known Biological Material, Scientists Say

Feb 18, 2015 by News Staff

According to a group of researchers headed by Prof Asa Barber of the University of Portsmouth, UK, the teeth of limpets – small aquatic snails – are...

Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Image credit: Jerzy Strzelecki / CC BY 3.0.

Secrets of Roman Architectural Concrete Uncovered

Dec 18, 2014 by News Staff

A group of scientists led by Dr Anthony Ingraffea of Cornell University has revealed clues to the longevity and endurance of such Imperial Roman monuments...

Combinatorial and modular genetic strategy for engineering self-assembling underwater adhesives; abbreviations: Mfps - mussel foot proteins (Mfp3 and Mfp5 - major mussel adhesive foot proteins, have unstructured coil structures in solution and are critical to the underwater interfacial adhesion of mussels); CsgA - an amyloidogenic protein that is the major subunit of adhesive curli ﬁber in Escherichia coli (contains five stacked strand–loop–strand motifs mediated by conserved residues and can self-assemble into nanofibers via a rate-limiting nucleation step followed by fibril extension). Image credit: Chao Zhong et al.

Mussel-Inspired Waterproof Adhesives Could Help Heal Wounds, Repair Ships

Sep 23, 2014 by News Staff

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed new mussel-inspired waterproof adhesives that could be used to heal wounds or repair...

STM image reveals honeycomb structure of germanene. Image credit: M E Dávila et al.

Germanene: European Scientists Synthesize New Cousin of Graphene

Sep 10, 2014 by News Staff

A team of scientists from Spain, Germany and France has managed to synthesize graphene’s cousin – an atom-thin, ordered, two-dimensional material...

This image shows a transparent luminescent solar concentrator module. Image credit: Yimu Zhao.

Scientists Develop Transparent Solar Concentrator

Aug 25, 2014 by News Staff

The newly developed transparent luminescent solar concentrator can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a clear surface, says...

False color, high-resolution image of the vanadium metallic glass, showing typical amorphous characteristics. Image credit: Li Zhong et al.

Scientists Turn Pure Metal into Glass

Aug 14, 2014 by News Staff

A team of materials scientists headed by Prof Scott Mao from the University of Pittsburgh has managed to make metallic glasses from pure, monoatomic metals. False...

Nanorods or nanoropes of carbine would be stronger than graphene or even diamond if they can be manufactured. Image credit: Vasilii Artyukhov / Rice University.

Carbyne: Material could be Stronger than Graphene, Diamond

Oct 10, 2013 by News Staff

According to scientists at Rice University, a material called carbyne will be the strongest material if and when anyone can make it in bulk. Nanorods or...

The scientists have developed a new camouflage using reflectin, a compound derived from Loliginidae, also known as pencil squids or calamari. The image shows two pencil squids Sepioteuthis sepioidea. Image credit: Jim Lyle / California State University Dominguez Hills.

New Infrared Camouflage Coating Created from Squid-Derived Compound

Sep 10, 2013 by News Staff

A team of researchers led by Dr Alon Gorodetsky of the University of California, Irvine, has developed a tunable biomimetic infrared camouflage coating...

The round nodules are the q-glass, not crystalline but with a well-defined chemical composition (Leonid A. Bendersky / NIST)

Unique Metallic Q-Glass Could Be New Class of Solids

Aug 8, 2013 by News Staff

Q-glass, a new solid alloy that has been discovered in a rapidly cooled mixture of aluminum, iron and silicon, is neither a pure glass, a crystal, nor...

New Attempt to Identify Techniques Used by Antonio Stradivari

Jul 8, 2013 by News Staff

Dr Marco Malagodi from the Università degli Studi di Pavia in Italy and his colleagues have used innovative methods to identify the techniques used by...

Pressure-induced transitions are associated with near two-fold volume expansions. While an increase in volume with pressure is counterintuitive, the resulting new phases contain large fluid-filled pores, such that the combined solid-fluid volume is reduced and the inefficiencies in space filling by the interpenetrated parent phase are eliminated (Argonne National Laboratory)

New Technique ‘Defies’ Laws of Physics

Jun 14, 2013 by Enrico de Lazaro

Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois, have found a way to apply pressure to make a material expand instead of compress. Pressure-induced...