Krzysztof Szalewicz, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Delaware, and Rafal Podeszwa of the University of Silesia Institute of Chemistry in Poland have developed and validated a more accurate method for predicting the interaction energy of large molecules, such as biomolecules used to develop new drugs.
A textured surface mimics a lotus leaf to move drops of liquid in particular directions. The low-cost system could be used in portable medical or environmental tests.
Using nanotechnology, Zhanping You is paving the way for brand-new asphalt blends to fight off cracks, rutting and potholes.
Engineers have discovered previously unknown properties of a common computer memory material, paving the way for new memory drives, movie discs and computer systems that absorb data more quickly, last longer and allow far more capacity than current data storage media.
Engineers at the University of Arkansas have developed a wireless health-monitoring system that gathers critical patient information, regardless of the patient’s location, and communicates that information in real time to a physician, hospital or the patient herself. The system includes a series of nanostructured, textile sensors integrated into a conventional sports bra for women and vest for men.
Liquid crystals, the state of matter that makes possible the flat screen technology now commonly used in televisions and computers, may have some new technological tricks in store.
In new findings published in the journal Science, Georgia Tech researchers have introduced what appears to be a universal technique to reduce the work function of a conductor. Their use in printable electronics can pave the way for lower cost and more flexible devices.
The boundary between electronics and biology is blurring with the first detection of ferroelectric properties in an amino acid called glycine.
An innovative X-ray technique has given North Carolina State University researchers and their collaborators new insight into how organic polymers can be used in printable electronics such as transistors and solar cells.
Taking advantage of the force generated by magnetic repulsion, researchers have developed a new technique for measuring the adhesion strength between thin films of materials used in microelectronic devices, photovoltaic cells and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
Pressure-treated wood is great stuff, but the chemicals used to preserve it from decay can leach out, where they can be toxic to bugs, fungi and other hapless creatures. Now, a team of scientists is using nanotechnology to keep the chemicals inside the wood where they belong.
Eighty-five years after the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic Ocean, a faculty member at Missouri University of Science and Technology answered one of maritime sleuths’ burning questions about the disaster: Was the steel used to build the ship at fault?
Common material such as polyethylene used in plastic bags could be turned into something far more valuable through a process being developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Inspired by nature’s way of shaping a petal, and building on simple techniques from photolithography and printing, researchers have developed a new photo-patterning tool for making three-dimensional shapes easily and cheaply. It should aid advances in biomedicine, robotics and tunable micro-optics.
Researchers have developed the first functional oxide thin films that can be used efficiently in electronics, making new high-power devices and sensors possible. This is the first time researchers have been able to produce positively-charged and negatively-charged conduction in a single oxide material, launching a new era in oxide electronics.
University of California, San Diego bioengineers have developed a self-healing hydrogel that binds in seconds, as easily as Velcro, and forms a bond strong enough to withstand repeated stretching.
Every great invention has a story. Boise State University’s Dr. Peter Müllner can offer perspective on the evolution of invention and discovery.
Xinwei Wang, an Iowa State associate professor of mechanical engineering, is leading a study that found spider silk is very good at transferring heat. Spider silk, in fact, conducts heat as well or better than most metals.
Fazel Yavari has developed a new sensor to detect extremely small quantities of hazardous gases. Made from a 3-D foam of the world’s thinnest material, graphene, this sensor is durable, inexpensive to make, and opens the door to a new generation of gas detectors for use by bomb squads, defense and law enforcement officials, as well as applications in industrial settings.
Following a $1 million agreement with Shima Seiki USA, Drexel will now have a state-of-the-art lab to conduct research for the development of new smart textiles or wearable technologies.
Biologists have long been amazed by gecko feet, which allow 5-ounce lizards to produce an adhesive force equivalent to carrying 9 lbs. up a wall without slipping. Now, a team of polymer scientists and a biologist have invented “Geckskin,” an adhesive device that can hold 700 pounds on a smooth wall.
We live in a materials world. Everyday objects are made of materials designed to have specific properties and perform in certain ways. Boise State University professor Amy Moll is an expert on the science behind stuff, and is available to share the secrets of how, for example, materials science and engineering have made your smart phone possible.
Recent earthquake damage has exposed the vulnerability of existing structures to strong ground movement. At Georgia Tech, researchers are analyzing shape-memory alloys for their potential use in constructing seismic-resistant structures.
Taking inspiration from the yellow fattail scorpion, which uses a bionic shield to protect itself against scratches from desert sandstorms, scientists have developed a new way to protect the moving parts of machinery from wear and tear.
A University of Arkansas physicist and his colleagues have examined the challenges facing scientists building the next generation of materials and innovative electronic devices and identified opportunities for taking the rational material design in new directions.
Graphene is the thinnest material known to science. The nanomaterial is so thin, in fact, water often doesn’t even know it’s there.
A team of polymer scientists and engineers has discovered how to make nano-scale repairs to a damaged surface equivalent to spot-filling a scratched car fender rather than re-surfacing the entire part. Their discovery is reported this week in the current issue of Nature Nanotechnology.
Engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method for creating advanced nanomaterials that could lead to highly efficient refrigerators and cooling systems requiring no refrigerants and no moving parts. The key ingredients for this innovation are a dash of nanoscale sulfur and a normal, everyday microwave oven.
To improve the quality of unpaved roads, a Kansas State University graduate student is working with lignin, a sustainable material found in all plants. Lignin’s adhesive properties make it good for binding soil particles together and protecting unpaved roads from erosion.
Engineers at UT Dallas have discovered that the new material graphene conducts heat about 20 times faster than silicon, making it an option as a semiconductor material that could produce quieter and longer-lasting computers, cellphones and other devices.
The prospect of electronics at the nanoscale may be even more promising with the first observation of metallic conductance in ferroelectric nanodomains by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Researchers from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and the University of Duisburg-Essen Germany found that graphitic carbon is a key element in a lubricating layer that forms on metal-on-metal hip implants. The lubricant is more similar to the lubrication of a combustion engine than that of a natural joint.
New silk-based microneedles can painlessly deliver precise doses of drugs over time and without refrigeration. Made under normal temperature and pressure using water, the microneedles can be loaded with sensitive biochemicals and maintain their activity. The biocompatible, biodegradable system could be applied to other biological storage needs.
Imagine jeans, sweats or socks that clean and de-odorize themselves when hung on a clothesline in the sun or draped on a balcony railing. Scientists are reporting development of a new cotton fabric that does clean itself of stains and bacteria when exposed to ordinary sunlight.
A man-made package filled with nature’s bone-building ingredients delivers the goods over time and space to heal serious bone injuries faster than products currently available, Cleveland researchers have found.
Technion researchers have discovered a way to generate an electrical field inside inorganic crystals (also known as quantum dotsO, making them more suitable for building an energy-efficient nanocrystal solar cell.
A new record-setting piezoelectric thin film material has been incorporated into silicon for energy harvesting and other MEMS applications.
Dr. Yury Gogotsi. In a piece published in the November 18 edition of Science, calls for a new, standardized gauge of performance measurement for energy storage devices.
A new study from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute demonstrates how graphene foam can outperform leading commercial gas sensors in detecting potentially dangerous and explosive chemicals. The discovery opens the door for a new generation of gas sensors to be used by bomb squads, law enforcement officials, defense organizations, and in various industrial settings.
A floating weed that clogs waterways around the world has at least one redeeming feature: It’s inspired a high-tech waterproof coating intended for boats and submarines.
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a simple way to convert two-dimensional patterns into three-dimensional (3-D) objects using only light.
By irradiating typical polystyrene lab plates with ultraviolet (UV) waves, Whitehead Institute and MIT scientists have created a surface capable of tripling the number of human embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that can be grown in culture by current methods.
Diabetics who suffer from hard-to-heal open wounds may soon have help in the form of a cottony glass material developed at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Alex Travesset reports in the Oct. 14 issue of the journal Science that nanotechnology has entered a new era. Because of developments in nanoparticle self-assembly, designer materials with unique properties are now possible.
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed what they believe to be the first polymeric material that is sensitive to biologically benign levels of near infrared (NRI) irradiation, enabling the material to disassemble in a highly controlled fashion. The study represents a significant milestone in the area of light-sensitive material for non-invasive medical and biological applications.
It's a car, it's a plane, it's . . . paper? At Florida State University's High-Performance Materials Institute (www.hpmi.net), a revolutionary new material known as buckypaper is being developed in ways that could change the world and lead us toward a more sustainable future.
Crystals and ceramics pale when compared to a material researchers discovered that has 10 times their piezoelectric effect, making it suitable for perhaps hundreds of everyday uses.
The discovery that a protein in insect skin responsible for protecting the insect as it molts its skin opens the possibilities for selective pest control and new biomaterials like football padding or lightweight aircraft components.
Materials scientists at the University of Washington have built a novel transistor that uses protons, creating a key piece for devices that can communicate directly with living things. The study is published online this week in the interdisciplinary journal Nature Communications.
Assembly of nanostructures using DNA may lead to the production of new materials with a wide range of applications from electronics to tissue engineering. Researchers in the Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering at the University of Arkansas have produced building blocks for such material by controlling the number, placement and orientation of DNA linkers on the surface of colloidal nanoparticles.
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