Materials news, August 2015

Graphene oxide's secret properties revealed at atomic level

Superlattice design realizes elusive multiferroic properties

Scientists have developed a novel material that possesses both spontaneous magnetization and electric polarization.

Laser-burned graphene gains metallic powers

A novel form of graphene with embedded metallic nanoparticles makes a useful fuel cell catalyst.

Manchester scientists reveal new, stable 2D materials

A new fabrication method allows unstable 2D materials to be isolated as single atomic layers for the first time.

Setting ground rules for nanoinformatics

Researchers from across the country have begun to design the framework on which to build the emerging field of nanoinformatics.

New record high for superconductivity in hydrogen sulfide at pressure

Researchers observed that hydrogen sulfide becomes superconductive at minus 70 degree Celsius.

Recipients of the 2014 Acta Student Awards

A team of judges have completed the evaluation of nominees for the 2014 Acta Student Awards.

Tuning black phosphorus for improved conductivity

Tuning band gap in black phosphorus for better semiconductors.

Using nanoscopic pores to investigate protein structure

A new method of gene sequencing.

Energy Storage Materials launched at Carbon 2015 conference

Discover new methods for Materials Science

Invitation to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Acta Biomaterialia

Mobile devices powered just by tapping your finger

Electronic devices that use DNA to harvest energy from motion.

Metal sandwich solution

Transition metal sandwiches with a carbide filling.

A model system for understanding soft colloids

Researchers have developed a model system for so-called soft colloids.

Announcing the winner of the 2015 IUPAP Magnetism Award and Néel Medal

Announcing the winner of the 2015 IUPAP Magnetism Award and Néel Medal: Prof. Chia-Ling Chien.

Winner of the 2014 Frans Habraken Best Paper Award announced

Winner of the 2014 Frans Habraken Best Paper Award Announced: Congratulations to Cedric Barroo!

A nano-optical look at MoS2 leads to surprising discoveries

Scientists have used a unique nano-optical probe to study the effects of illumination on two-dimensional semiconductors at the molecular level.

Lighting up cancer cells to identify low concentrations of diseased cells

Applied Materials Today is now live on ScienceDirect.

Special issue on new application of organic reactions for controlling polymer architectures

Special issue on synthesis and characterization of renewable thermoset resins and composites

Bend me, shape me

Flexible hybrid electronics emerging from military research.

White laser beams for first time

The next step is to achieve running white lasers on a battery which would bring this invention closer to application in real-life technologies.

Unusual discovery in thin film magnetism

New fluorescent polymer makes deformation visible

Dutch chemists have developed a novel kind of polymer than can report when it changes shape.

Slow growth not a problem for graphene nanoribbons

Scientists have discovered a way to grow graphene nanoribbons directly on a conventional germanium semiconductor wafer.

Pure compound succumbs to magnetoresistance under pressure

Using high-pressure conditions, scientists have induced colossal magnetoresistance in a pure sample of lanthanum manganite.

Bottlebrush polymers produce tissue-like medical implants

The softness of a new dry silicone rubber can be tailored to match a variety of biological tissues.

Copper clusters convert carbon dioxide directly into fuel

Scientists have developed a new energy-efficient catalyst for converting carbon dioxide directly into the liquid fuel methanol.

New industry/university center for atomically thin coatings

The study and development of atomically thin coatings will be the focus of a new, one-of-a-kind university/industry center.

New hydrogel can walk in water

Scientists have developed a new hydrogel that stretches and contracts in response to changing temperature.

Prof. Hui-Ming Cheng wins the Utz-Hellmuth Felcht Award

Nanoscale platinum ‘grass’ makes signals clearer

A lawn-like coating of tiny grass-like platinum wires could improve electronic devices used to communicate with the brain.

Sandcastles inspire new nanoparticle binding technique

Magnetic nanoparticles encased in oily liquid shells spontaneously form chains on exposure to a magnetic field.

Susan Sinnott appointed head of department

Special Issue on Bio-Based Polymers and Composites

Special Issue Publication on bio-based polymers, available to freely download now.

Liquid-like magnetic state leads to super-conductivity

An iron-telluride material can develop superconductivity with no long-range electronic or magnetic order when ‘doped’ with sulfur.

Bulk metallic glass could keep hearts beating

An unusual amorphous metal alloy known as a bulk metallic glass could increase the longevity of stents, which are used to to open up blocked arteries.

‘Yolks’ and ‘shells’ improve rechargeable batteries

Nanoparticles with a solid shell and a ‘yolk’ inside that can change size make a good anode for rechargeable batteries.

Tunable terahertz generation

Developing a tunable terahertz generation using hybrid semiconductors

Happy 100th birthday, Sterling

2015 Materials Today Cover Competition

Molecular trick alters rules of attraction for non-magnetic metals

Scientists have demonstrated for the first time how to generate magnetism in metals that aren’t naturally magnetic.

New form of graphene boasts array of useful properties

Scientists have developed an entirely new material spun out of boron, nitrogen, carbon and oxygen.

Ultrafast DNA diagnostics

New technology developed by UC Berkeley bioengineers promises to make a workhorse lab tool cheaper, more portable and many times faster

Making the hunt for catalysts simpler

Researchers have found that catalysis and wetting, two processes, which had been considered unrelated, are in fact closely linked

Neutrons lead the search for oxygen ion conductors

Scientists one step closer to understanding how certain materials display high oxygen mobility at room-temperature.

Researchers find link between wettability and catalysis

A research team has found that catalysis and wetting, which had been considered unrelated, are in fact closely linked.

Sol-gel capacitor dielectric offers record-high energy storage

Researchers have developed a new capacitor dielectric material that provides an electrical energy storage capacity rivaling certain batteries.

The mysteries of crystal growth

Researchers, have shown how nature uses a variety of pathways to grow crystals that go beyond the classical, one-atom-at-a-time route.

Injectable electronics fit right in

Flexible electronic devices that can be injected into cavities or living tissue through a needle and interpenetrate the space have been developed.

Diamond puts a new shine on friction-free graphene

A novel combination of graphene wrapped around nanodiamond particles can reduce friction to near zero.

Lithium ions prefer defects to perfection

Researchers have confirmed that Li ions prefer to aggregate at and move along defects like twin boundaries in battery electrode materials.

Novel optoelectronic modulator that is smaller, faster, and cheaper

Researchers at ETH Zurich have now developed a modulator that is a hundred times smaller than conventional models.

Biomedical implants get into the groove

Patterning metallic biomedical dental and hip implants with tiny grooves could improve biocompatibility with the body and reduce adverse reactions.

Predicting a record-setting melting point

Researchers from Brown University have identified a material with a higher melting point than any known substance

Super-elastic conducting fibers

Research team has made electrically conducting fibers that can be reversibly stretched to over 14 times their initial length.

Birds’ feathers inspire colorful nanoparticles

Inspired by birds’ bright plumage, researchers have designed thin films of synthetic nanoparticles that mimic these colorful displays.

Nanoscale drug carriers bypass blood-brain barrier

Researchers have engineered the surface of nanosized polymeric drug carriers to bind onto cancer cells and slip past the blood-brain barrier.

Top 10 Materials News from June 2015

New chiral property of silicon, with photonic applications

Engineers and physicists have discovered a property of silicon that combines aspects of all of these desirable qualities.

Observation free nanoparticle growth in helium gas provides new insights

Researchers have observed the growth of free nanoparticles in helium gas.