Materials Science

  1. scandium molecule diagram
    Chemistry

    Molecular jiggling may explain why some solids shrink when heated

    Scientists may have figured out how scandium fluoride crystals shrink as temperature rises, possibly leading to new insights into superconductors.

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  2. wave
    Physics

    Physicists have found quasiparticles that mimic hypothetical dark matter axions

    These subatomic particles could make up dark matter in the cosmos. A mathematically similar phenomenon occurs in a solid material.

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  3. fibers
    Materials Science

    A new cooling technique relies on untwisting coiled fibers

    A “twist fridge” operates via twistocaloric cooling, a technique that generates cooling by unraveling twisted strands.

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  4. Andrea Young
    Physics

    Andrea Young uncovers the strange physics of 2-D materials

    Physicist Andrea Young has set his sights on the strange ways electrons behave in flat, layered structures.

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  5. skyrmions
    Physics

    A new magnetic swirl, or skyrmion, could upgrade data storage

    Magnetic whorls in a new type of material could be easier to control than their predecessors.

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  6. theoretical superconductor
    Physics

    A predicted superconductor might work at a record-breaking 200° Celsius

    A material made of hydrogen, lithium and magnesium and squeezed to high pressures may be a superconductor even at especially high temperatures.

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  7. carbon nanotubes
    Tech

    A chip made with carbon nanotubes, not silicon, marks a computing milestone

    Silicon’s reign in cutting-edge electronics may soon over. The carbon nanotube could be its successor.

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  8. chair with flame resistant tag
    Chemistry

    Plant-based fire retardants may offer a less toxic way to tame flames

    Flame retardants created from plant materials could be less harmful to the environment than traditional flame-smothering chemicals.

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  9. graphene friction
    Physics

    Scientists seek materials that defy friction at the atomic level

    Scientists investigate superslippery materials and other unusual friction feats.

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  10. liquid droplets
    Materials Science

    Permanent liquid magnets have now been created in the lab

    Magnets that generate persistent magnetic fields are usually solid. But new little bar magnets have the mechanical properties of liquids.

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  11. an image of two diamonds
    Materials Science

    Latest claim of turning hydrogen into a metal may be the most solid yet

    If true, the study would complete a decades-long quest to find the elusive material. But such claims have been made prematurely many times before.

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  12. bulletproof vest
    Materials Science

    50 years ago, bulletproof armor was getting light enough to wear

    In 1969, bulletproof armor used boron carbide fibers. Fifty years later, bulletproof armor is drastically lighter and made from myriad materials.

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