Materials Science News - SciTechDaily

Magnetic Revolution: Diamonds and Rust Rewrite Physics Textbooks

University of Cambridge — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:44:13 +0000

Cambridge researchers have identified magnetic monopoles in hematite, suggesting new possibilities for advanced, eco-friendly computing technologies. This first-time observation of emergent monopoles in a natural...

Silk Solutions: Unlocking the Secrets of Natural Materials To Weave a Better World

Michaela Jarvis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 17:45:20 +0000

Professor Benedetto Marelli develops silk-based technologies with uses “from lab to fork,” including helping crops grow and preserving perishable foods. Growing up in Milan, Benedetto...

Thought To Be Impossible – Scientists Uncover Hidden World Using Newly Found Properties of a Graphene-Like Material

EPFL — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 03:12:18 +0000

Researchers from EPFL and the University of Manchester have unlocked secrets of nanofluidics by utilizing a two-dimensional material and light. A breakthrough in nanofluidics is...

Shattered Dreams: Scientists Debunk LK-99 Room Temperature Superconductivity Myth

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 03:16:51 +0000

New research has disproved the superconductivity claims of LK-99, showing that its properties result from the structural transition of Cu2S impurities, not superconductivity. In a...

Unlocking the Secrets of Life: Scientists Solve Century-Old Biological Mysteries With Active Matter Theory

Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 00:40:26 +0000

An open-source advanced supercomputer algorithm predicts the patterning and dynamics of living materials, allowing for the exploration of their behaviors across space and time. Biological...

The Next Leap in Battery Tech: Lithium-Ion Batteries Are No Longer the Gold Standard

Tsinghua University Press — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 10:29:33 +0000

Lithium metal, chosen for battery anodes due to its superior energy density compared to other materials, is a smart choice. Yet, challenges arise at the...

Simple New Technique Transforms “Forever Chemicals” Into Valuable Compounds

Osaka Metropolitan University — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 22:55:51 +0000

Scientists have developed an innovative approach to incorporate harmful perfluoroalkenes into N-heterocyclic carbene ligands. Commonly known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) are...

Unlocking Futuristic Materials: The Laser Key to Advanced Metamaterial Structures

Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 16:46:57 +0000

The technique could speed up the development of acoustic lenses, impact-resistant films, and other futuristic materials. Metamaterials are products of engineering wizardry. They are made...

Twisting Reality: Atomic Sheets Unlocking the Doors of Advanced Technology

Nathi Magubane, Penn State University — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 17:24:52 +0000

A collaborative team of physicists in the School of Arts & Sciences have found that putting a twist on tungsten disulfide stacks illuminates new approaches...

Advancing Material Science: New “Gold Standard” for Computational Codes

National Centre for Competence in Research (NCCR) MARVEL — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 14:00:09 +0000

Scientists from NCCR MARVEL led the most comprehensive verification effort so far on computer codes for materials simulations, providing their colleagues with a reference dataset...

Unlocking Superconductivity: MIT Physicists Trap Electrons in a 3D Crystal for the First Time

Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 04:30:21 +0000

The results open the door to exploring superconductivity and other exotic electronic states in three-dimensional materials. Electrons move through a conducting material like commuters at...

Revolutionizing Cancer Care With Bendable X-Ray Detectors

University of Surrey — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 07:08:42 +0000

New tissue-equivalent materials developed at the University of Surrey could pave the way for a new generation of flexible X-ray detectors, with potential applications ranging...

MIT Physicists Transform Pencil Lead Into Electronic “Gold”

Elizabeth A. Thomson, MIT Materials Research Laboratory — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 02:43:16 +0000

Isolate thin flakes that can be tuned to exhibit three important properties. MIT physicists have metaphorically turned graphite, or pencil lead, into gold by isolating...

MIT’s FibeRobo: Revolutionary Shape-Shifting Fiber Can Produce Morphing Fabrics

Adam Zewe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 10:43:49 +0000

The low-cost FibeRobo, which is compatible with existing textile manufacturing techniques, could be used in adaptive performance wear or compression garments. Instead of needing a...

Scientists Develop Stronger, Stretchier, Self-Healing Plastic

University of Tokyo — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 09:32:42 +0000

Improved material can maintain complex shapes and biodegrades in seawater. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed an innovative plastic that surpasses the strength...

Revolutionizing Ceramics – Scientists Unlock Secret to Incredible Toughness

University of California - San Diego — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 23:41:20 +0000

Scientists have uncovered a method to make ceramics tougher and more resistant to cracking. By building these materials with a mix of metal atoms that...

Water-Repellent Plastrons Keep Surfaces Dry for Months Underwater

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 02:19:57 +0000

A species of spider lives its entire life underwater, despite having lungs that can only breathe atmospheric oxygen. How does it do it? This spider,...

Redefining Electronics: Ferroelectric Material Is Now Elastic

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 17:06:38 +0000

A research group led by Prof. Li Runwei at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)...

MIT Physicists Discover Another Surprising Property in Graphene: Ferro-Valleytricity

Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 15:00:27 +0000

A newly discovered type of electronic behavior from a five-layer graphene sandwich could help with packing more data into magnetic memory devices. Ordinary pencil lead...

Twisting Physics: MIT’s Quasicrystal Superconductivity Breakthrough

Elizabeth A. Thomson, Materials Research Laboratory — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 08:27:21 +0000

A new flexible platform could produce enigmatic materials and lead to new studies of exotic phenomena. In research that could jump-start interest into an enigmatic...

Magnetism Reimagined: MIT’s Pioneering Advances in Topology

Peter Reuell, MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 22:20:42 +0000

MIT researchers show how topology can help create magnetism at higher temperatures. Researchers who have been working for years to understand electron arrangement, or topology,...

Not Science Fiction: Scientists Around the World Shocked by Self-Healing in Metal

Texas A&M University — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 10:28:19 +0000

Dr. Michael Demkowicz predicted self-healing in metal; this summer it was finally observed, shocking scientists around the world. A microscopic crack grew in a very...

Shattering 60-Year Debate: Defects Spread Through Diamond Faster Than the Speed of Sound

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 00:37:58 +0000

Defects can make a material stronger or make it fail catastrophically. Knowing how fast they travel can help researchers understand things like earthquake...

Graphene’s Twisted Science: A New Quantum Ruler To Explore Exotic Matter

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 20:47:16 +0000

NIST researchers, studying twisted graphene layers, have unveiled a “quantum ruler” that investigates the material’s unique properties. A single-atom-thick sheet of carbon known as graphene...