Material Complexity Hurts Reusability, Repairability and Recyclability
Will we get to a point when smartphones actually last us 10 years? Continue reading........»»
Graphene at 20: Still no sign of the promised space elevator, but the material is quietly changing the world
Twenty years ago this October, two physicists at the University of Manchester, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, published a groundbreaking paper on the "electric field effect in atomically thin carbon films." Their work described the extraordinar.....»»
Observations confirm that early-universe quasar neighborhoods are densely populated with companion galaxies
Quasars are the most luminous objects in the universe and are powered by material accreting onto supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies......»»
iPhone 16 teardown shows new simpler replaceable battery system
The lineup include a few advancements in repairability. Perhaps, the most significant hardware change is a new type of battery adhesive, that allows for simpler and safer battery replacements once the frame of the phone has been taken off. iFixit.....»»
X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission unveils black hole and supernova remnant surroundings
The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) has revealed the structure, motion and temperature of the material around a supermassive black hole and in a supernova remnant in unprecedented detail. Astronomers presented the first scientific resu.....»»
New material with wavy layers of atoms exhibits unusual superconducting properties
MIT physicists and colleagues have created a new material with unusual superconducting and metallic properties, thanks to wavy layers of atoms only billionths of a meter thick that repeat themselves over and over to create a macroscopic sample that c.....»»
Independent origins of frog glue and its role in predator evasion
Skin-secreted adhesives, or glues, are highly effective defense adaptations that have evolved recurrently in a small number of amphibians. From an ecological standpoint, this rapidly solidifying material—essentially, a sticky slime—encumbers the.....»»
Bioengineers create new substrate to study wood-decomposing enzyme
Researchers want to transform the natural and abundant resource wood into useful materials, and central to that is a molecular machine found in fungi that decomposes the complex raw material into its basic components......»»
The iPhone 16 is more repairable than ever, here’s what changed
Apple’s iPhone 16 launch is just a couple days away. Alongside the first reviews dropping, we have also learned some new details about the device’s repairability. There are several interesting internal changes that make this the most repairable i.....»»
Template synthesis creates multilayered perovskites with unique ferroelectric behavior
A group of Nagoya University researchers in Japan has synthesized 4- and 5-layered versions of the important electrical material perovskite. Analyzing the mechanism of ferroelectricity in the material, they found it has a unique function: the materia.....»»
The Apple Watch blood oxygen battle hurts the company and its customers
It’s not often that upgrading to the latest model of an Apple product means sacrificing a key feature, but that is the case for anyone in the USA upgrading to the Apple Watch Series 10 from the S6 or later. The reason is that, if you bought a S.....»»
The iPhone 16 is more repairable than ever, here’s what’s changed
Apple’s iPhone 16 launch is just a couple days away. Alongside the first reviews dropping, we have also learned some new details about the device’s repairability. There are several interesting internal changes that make this the most repairable i.....»»
Tiny robots and AI algorithms could help to craft material solutions for cleaner environments
Many human activities release pollutants into the air, water and soil. These harmful chemicals threaten the health of both people and the ecosystem. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution causes an estimated 4.2 million deaths annu.....»»
Study sheds light on trade-off between noise and power in nanoscale heat engines
Thanks to nanoscale devices as small as human cells, researchers can create groundbreaking material properties, leading to smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient electronics. However, to fully unlock the potential of nanotechnology, addressing no.....»»
Printed engines propel the next industrial revolution
In the fall of 2023, NASA hot fire tested an aluminum 3D printed rocket engine nozzle. Aluminum is not typically used for 3D printing because the process causes it to crack, and its low melting point makes it a challenging material for rocket engines.....»»
Multifunctional phosphor developed for white LED lighting and optical thermometry
In the realm of lighting and temperature measurement, advancements in material science are paving the way for significant improvements in technology and safety. Traditional methods, which combine yellow phosphors with blue chips in LEDs, have limitat.....»»
Evidence of “snowball Earth” found in ancient rocks
An outcrop in Scotland has material from when the Earth went into a deep freeze. Enlarge / Artist's conception of the state of the Earth during its global glaciations. (credit: NASA) Earth has gone through many geologic.....»»
Researchers solve long-standing mystery of alumina surface structure
Aluminum oxide (Al2O3), also known as alumina, corundum, sapphire, or ruby, is one of the best insulators used in a wide range of applications: in electronic components, as a support material for catalysts, or as a chemically resistant ceramic, to na.....»»
New findings in a decade-long study of enzyme catalysis
Synthetic chemistry provides an essential material basis for our clothing, food, housing, transportation, and medicine and is an important driving force for economic development. However, traditional chemical synthesis has bottleneck problems such as.....»»
Apple says new iPhone 16 design makes battery replacements easier
The iPhone 16 features a new internal design that comes with a big benefit to repairability. Apple says the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have been “reengineered” to make battery service easier and offer improved performance and thermals. more.....»»
Researchers bend DNA strands with light, revealing a new way to study the genome
With the flick of a light, researchers have found a way to rearrange life's basic tapestry, bending DNA strands back on themselves to reveal the material nature of the genome......»»