Materials Science

Materials Science

Carbon nanotubes do some bonding

Researchers have welded together carbon nanotubes to make junctions that could be useful in the construction of tiny electronic devices.

Materials Science

Bigger, Cheaper, Safer Batteries: New material charges up lithium-ion battery work

A new material could make rechargeable lithium-ion batteries smaller, cheaper, and safer.

Materials Science

The Buck Starts Here

The U.S. Mint performed some neat tricks to make a golden dollar.

Materials Science

Materials with Memory

Metal alloys and polymers that can remember a preprogrammed shape may literally reshape technologies ranging from warfare to medicine and car repair.

Materials Science

Fridge Magnets and Chemistry

Theres a tiger on your fridge! Lurking inside refrigerator magnets of the flat, flexible variety are magnetic-field stripes of alternating polarity. This University of Wisconsin Web site explains how fridge magnets work, shows how you can use such magnets to learn about magnetic force microscopy, and suggests experiments involving fridge magnets to model how metals […]

Materials Science

Rice hulls could nourish Silicon Valley

Scientists are developing ways to extract and purify the silicon that occurs naturally in rice hulls.

Materials Science

Better-Built Diamonds: Fast growth, purity may multiply uses

A research group has fabricated the purest diamonds ever made or found, and another has devised a way to grow high-quality diamonds up to 100 times faster than typical growth rates.

Materials Science

Foamy polymers hit goal right on the nose

Biodegradable polymer foams made with a new technique can act as scaffolds for regenerating tissues that may someday be used as replacement body parts.

Materials Science

What the mail must go through

Mail irradiation in Washington, D.C. is damaging valuable objects and documents intended for scientific study or archiving at the Smithsonian, the White House, and other government organizations.

Materials Science

A Cut above the Ordinary: Low-tech machining yields coveted nanostructure

A new finding that machining of metals imparts a hard, fine-grained structure to turnings and other scraps may lead to less costly but more durable parts for cars and other applications.

Materials Science

Spinning Fine Threads: Silkworms coerced to make better silk

The caterpillars that spin commercial silk can make tougher or more elastic threads, depending on how fast they're forced to spin.

Materials Science

Vision Quest

Increasing numbers of people with less-than-perfect vision can now wear contact lenses, thanks to innovations in lens design and materials.