Materials Science
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Materials ScienceMicrostructures make a beetle brilliant
Engineers looking to make a variety of surfaces whiter and brighter could learn a few things from a lowly beetle.
By Sid Perkins -
Materials ScienceSavvy Skins
Researchers are developing new coatings that incorporate multiple functions, offer chemical reactivity, or act in response to stimuli in the environment.
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Materials ScienceElectrode Enhancements: New materials may boost fuel cell performance
Two teams have independently discovered ways to dramatically improve the materials used in the electrodes of fuel cells.
By Sid Perkins -
Materials ScienceDribble Quibble: Experiments find that new basketball gets slick
According to preliminary results from a study at a physics lab, a new basketball for professional players bounces less elastically, veers more when it bounces, and becomes more slippery when damp than does a leather ball.
By Peter Weiss -
Materials ScienceA nanotechnology report card
Research on how nanotechnology affects human health and the environment must be expanded, a National Research Council report concludes.
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Materials ScienceRice-straw sweaters
Textile scientists have for the first time extracted from rice straw natural cellulose fibers that can be spun into yarn.
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Materials ScienceLogos to Go: Hydrogel coatings provide removable color
A biodegradable coating could add a temporary splash of color to sports fields, buildings, or even people's bodies.
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Materials ScienceSolid Information: Chemical composition can determine concrete’s durability
A new analysis reveals how damage progresses in concrete that's exposed to sulfate.
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Materials ScienceSeeing the light
Researchers have developed a smart petri dish that signals cell death with intense light.
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Materials ScienceGreenhouse Glass: Squeezing and heating carbon dioxide yields exotic, see-through solid
Researchers have forged solid glass from carbon dioxide.
By Peter Weiss -
Materials ScienceGripping Tale: Metal oozes in nanotubes’ grasp
Carbon nanotubes can squeeze substances inside them with such high pressures that even hard metals squish like putty.
By Peter Weiss -
Materials ScienceFeeling cagey
Researchers have discovered that gold can take the shape of nanoscale, hollow cages.