Materials Science

  1. Materials Science

    Microscopic glass ribbons provide molecular labels

    A new type of barcode too small to see with the naked eye holds promise for biomedical research, law enforcement, and everyday life.

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  2. Materials Science

    Conch yields clues for future materials

    A conch's tough, calcium carbonate shell resists fractures because a protein surrounds the mineral crystals throughout the shell.

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  3. Materials Science

    Quick-Change Surface: Material repels water on command

    Researchers have modified a gold surface so that it switches from a water-attracting mode to a water-repelling one on command.

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  4. Materials Science

    Fracture Protection: Nanotubes toughen up ceramics

    The addition of carbon nanotubes to a ceramic material dramatically improves its fracture resistance.

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  5. Materials Science

    Carbon nanotubes beam electrons

    Researchers have taken a step toward using carbon nanotubes as electron sources in devices such as high-resolution electron microscopes.

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  6. Materials Science

    Gold Deposits: Scientists design nanoparticle films

    In a step toward a cheaper, easier way to connect computer chips to computers, scientists have patterned semiconductors with a film of extremely small gold particles.

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  7. Materials Science

    Gold Deposits: Scientists design nanoparticle films

    In a step toward a cheaper, easier way to connect computer chips to computers, scientists have patterned semiconductors with a film of extremely small gold particles.

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  8. Materials Science

    Nanotube ID: New signatures aid nanotech progress

    Researchers have developed a means for rapidly distinguishing among 33 semiconducting varieties of carbon nanotubes.

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  9. Materials Science

    Worm’s teeth conceal odd mineral material

    A worm's teeth contain a copper mineral that could serve as a model for new materials.

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  10. Materials Science

    Knitting with nanotubes

    Researchers can draw fine yarns of carbon nanotubes from a reservoir of the microscopic cylinders.

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  11. Materials Science

    Metal Manipulation: Technique yields hard but stretchy materials

    Researchers have combined a standard metalworking technology—rolling—with a programmed sequence of cooling and heating steps to process copper into a form that contains both nanoscale and microscale crystal grains.

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  12. Materials Science

    Molecular Separations: New artificial sieve traps molecules

    Researchers have created a metal-laced organic solid that acts as a sieve with nanosize pores for capturing molecules.

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