Nano-Sandwich Design Results in Slimmer Solar Cells with Decreased Costs
Using a “nanoscale sandwich” design with an ultra-thin active layer, scientists at NC State University have developed a technique to create slimmer thin-film solar cells…
Materials Science
SLIPS Prevents Ice from Sticking on Metal Surfaces
A team of material science engineers from Harvard developed SLIPS (Slippery Liquid Infused Porous Surfaces), a technology that can prevent ice sheets from developing on…
3-D Self-Assembling Polymer Materials Could Lead to New Microchips
As computer chips continue to shrink, developers are reaching the limits on how small they can make patterns for wires. A team of researchers at…
LCLS Low-Energy Test Just Shy of the 284-Electronvolt Carbon Edge
A recent low energy test with SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source proved that the X-ray laser could dip more deeply into the so-called “water window,”…
Crowding Causes Internal Cell Structure Alignment
By mimicking the crowded environment in actual cells, a team of researchers found that certain molecules organize as they would in the body, inducing a…
High-Energy Radiation is Refracted Setting the Stage for Gamma Optics
New research into gamma rays has led to a discovery that will make many new applications possible in medicine and materials research. Physicists at the…
Spider Fangs May Lead to the Development of New Specialized Materials
Looking to nature for technological inspiration is nothing new and now a team of scientists are hoping that new insights into spider fangs and the…
Graphite Foam Could Harness Energy from Temperature Gradient in Oceans
Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) think that they could use graphite foam to harness energy from the temperature gradient in tropical waters,…
Obayashi’s Space Elevator to Be Operational by 2050
The holy grail of getting into orbit has always been the ultimate development of space elevators, long, thin strands that could ferry passengers and cargo…
Elastomeric “Soft” Robots Running on Pneumatic Actuators
These new prototype robots, which were molded from paper and silicone rubber, can twist, bend, grip, and lift more than 100 times their own weight….
Researchers Uncover Why Lithium Iron Phosphate Works So Well
It took five years of research, but researchers at MIT now have a better understanding of lithium iron phosphate’s behavior. By studying how the material…
Smart Spider Silk Might Lead to Carbon Nanotubes Strong Enough for Space Elevators
It’s a well-known fact that spider silk is stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar, yet flexible enough to be made into a variety of…
Self-Healing Polymer Mechanism Rediscovered After 60 Years
There’s been a lot more research into self-healing organic polymers, but it’s only recently that a self-healing mechanism from more than 60 years ago was…
Scientists Make 3D Objects Invisible to Microwave Wavelengths
After years of progress, scientists are now coming closer and closer to making real-world objects disappear from view. Researchers from the University of Texas at…
Research for High Pressure Materials for DoD Underway
The DoD needs stronger, lighter, and more resilient materials that can be used in any number of applications from armor, to lighter weights which allow…
Researchers Develop World’s Lightest Material
Styrofoam is very lightweight, unless you compare it to the new micro-lattice cellular material developed by a team of researchers from UC Irvine, HRL Laboratories…