Materials Science
- Materials Science
Butterfly-inspired nanostructures can sort light
Scientists re-created a nanostructure found on butterflies that can separate out circularly polarized light, a characteristic that may be useful for telecommunications.
- Physics
Turning water to steam, no boiling required
A new material can convert water into steam with sunlight alone, and could be useful for making fresh water from salty.
- Oceans
Readers question ocean health
Ocean plastics, ant behavior, pollution solutions and more in reader feedback.
- Physics
New type of catalyst could aid hydrogen fuel
A substance that can switch states might make an efficient catalyst for extracting hydrogen from water.
- Materials Science
Playing with building blocks for metamaterial design
Legos show promise as a low-cost method to assist scientists in developing novel metamaterials.
- Materials Science
New process encourages ice to slip, slide away
Researchers discover new process for making durable ice-phobic materials.
- Materials Science
New carbon cluster has high storage capacity
A new carbon structure could store gases or liquids in honeycomb-shaped cells.
- Chemistry
Frozen oil droplets morph and shine
Scientists can turn oil droplets into an array of crystalline shapes by manipulating the chemistry and temperature of the droplets’ surroundings.
- Chemistry
‘Q-carbon’ may offer quick route to diamonds
Q-carbon might be the third form of solid carbon, but some scientists have doubts.
- Tech
Electronic skin feels the heat, hears the sound
Electronic skin inspired by human fingertips detects texture, pressure, heat and sound.
- Materials Science
Invisibility cloaks slim down
A new invisibility cloak offers more stealth in a thinner package.
- Materials Science
Electron waves refract negatively
Waves of electrons have been bent backward in a sheet of graphene, allowing physicists to focus electrons the way a lens focuses light.
