Zero-waste synthesis of new supramolecular materials with remarkable mechanical properties
Researchers from Japan have unlocked the potential of tannic acid and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene oxide by using them to synthesize strong and smart supramolecular gels in a zero-waste process. These gels exhibit remarkable characteristi.....»»
Composite plastic degrades easily with bacteria, offers environmental benefits
Billions of tons of plastic waste clutter our world. Most of it has accumulated on the ground and in the oceans or disintegrated into tiny particles known as microplastics that pollute the air and the water, penetrating vegetation and the bloodstream.....»»
Adding an alternating magnetic field to layers of twisted graphene creates even more exotic properties
Magnetic fields can engineer flat bands in twisted graphene layers to create a new playground for exotic physics, RIKEN physicists have shown......»»
Ukrainian drones now spray 2,500° C thermite streams right into Russian trenches
Mechanical dragons now deliver fire on command. Enlarge Wars of necessity spawn weapons innovation as each side tries to counter the other's tactics and punch through defenses. For instance—as the Russian invasion of.....»»
Combining aesthetics with fire-resistance for improved wood protection
Wood is a popular material for construction and furniture making due to its availability, easy processing, and strong mechanical properties. However, its flammability poses significant risks, particularly in historical buildings......»»
Study: Giant ultrafast dichroism and birefringence with active nonlocal metasurfaces
The fine and efficient control of the properties of light at ultrafast speed down to the picosecond timescale is a challenging task, crucial for many scientific applications and technologies. For instance, in free-space optical links, manipulating on.....»»
Researchers explore key interaction sites and pathways in ammonia capture
The design and development of high-performance materials are crucial for efficient ammonia capture. Generally, these materials are characterized by abundant ammonia adsorption sites and rapid ammonia transport channels, enabling the effective capture.....»»
AirTags key to discovery of Houston"s plastic recycling deception
One Houston resident was suspicious of the city's "all plastic accepted" recycling program, and used AirTags to discover where the plastic waste actually ended up.Apple employs an advanced robot named Daisy to disassemble old iPhones.Brandy Deason, w.....»»
High-refractive-index-modulation nanocomposites for augmented reality displays
Holographic optical elements (HOEs) are essential in augmented reality (AR) displays, providing benefits such as design flexibility and improved optical efficiency. However, current materials' limited refractive index modulation hampers performance,.....»»
Have a mechanical keyboard? You need this free app
Mechanical keyboards can start to slowly fail over time, but this free app makes the troubleshooting process much easier......»»
Expanding click chemistry: An eco-friendly conversion process for the synthesis of sulfonyl fluorides
For the first time, thiols and disulfides have been converted into sulfonyl fluorides using SHC5 and KF, expanding click chemistry with high efficiency and low environmental impact......»»
Porous gas-adsorbing materials reveal hidden softness
A team of researchers has reshaped our understanding of developing gas storage materials known as porous coordination polymers (PCPs), which is also known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)......»»
Bang & Olufsen’s latest headphones look gorgeous and cost a fortune
Bang & Olufsen's Beoplay H100 are made of luxurious materials and they have an intriguing set of rotating controls......»»
Using fungal mycelium as the basis for sustainable products
Fungi have more to offer than meets the eye. Their thread-like cells, which grow extensively and out of sight underground like a network of roots, offer huge potential for producing sustainable, biodegradable materials. Researchers at the Fraunhofer.....»»
Study: Quantum-dot-enabled infrared hyperspectral imaging with single-pixel detection
Near infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging is a highly promising detection technology capable of capturing detailed 3D spectral-spatial information, facilitating the identification and characterization of materials and targets based on their spectral.....»»
Engineers smash rocks to see what occurs when top layer of an asteroid-like object is hit with extreme external force
Johns Hopkins engineers have uncovered new details about how granular materials such as sand and rock behave under extreme impacts—findings that could someday help protect the Earth from dangerous asteroids......»»
Double-peaked supernovae offer clues to pre-supernova outbursts
New research helps in understanding the evolution and final stages of massive stars, the role of binary interactions, and the mechanisms behind mass loss, which ultimately affect the properties of the resulting supernova and its remnant. This work al.....»»
3D bioprinting materials offer possibility for better bone and soft tissue repair
3D bioprinting is an advanced tissue engineering technique that builds complex tissues using bioactive substances like living cells and scaffolds. It provides personalized tissue repair solutions, reducing immune rejection by using patient-specific c.....»»
FAA lets SpaceX get back to launches, but Polaris Dawn awaits good weather
SpaceX got the OK to fly again from the Federal Aviation Administration and didn't waste any time knocking out launches from both Florida and California early Saturday, but the crewed Polaris Dawn launch remains on hold because of weather......»»
Nonprofit scrubs illegal content from controversial AI training dataset
After backlash, LAION cleans child sex abuse materials from AI training data. Enlarge (credit: Kirillm | iStock / Getty Images Plus) After Stanford Internet Observatory researcher David Thiel found links to child sexual.....»»
Researchers explore design of polar crystalline solids of pure molecular materials
Harmeet Bhoday, a Missouri S&T Ph.D. student in chemistry from Chandigarh, India, was the lead author of an article titled "Perfect Polar Alignment of Parallel Beloamphiphile Layers: Improved Structural Design Bias Realized in Ferroelectric Crystals.....»»