http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/materials_science/ Materials Science News and Research. Read all the latest in materials engineering, chemical engineering, and more. Full-text, images, free. en-us Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:05:01 EST Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/materials_science/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202103625.htm Silicon is the most prevalent material in electronics, whether for mobile phones, solar cells or computers. Nanometer-sized wires made of silicon have a large potential for a completely new chip architecture. But this requires a detailed investigation and understanding of their electronic properties which is technologically challenging due to the ultra-small size of the nanowires. Researchers were able to describe the electrical resistance and current flow inside individual silicon nanowires. Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202103625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209091840.htm Scientists have observed electrons in a semiconductor on the brink of the metal-insulator transition for the first time. Caught in the act, the electrons formed complex patterns resembling those seen in turbulent fluids, confirming some long-held predictions and providing new insights into how semiconductors can be turned into magnets. The work also could lead to the production of smaller and more energy-efficient computers. Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209091840.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209124505.htm Two thousand years after the Romans invented cement, this material is still the most commonly used in construction throughout the world. Its complex internal structure means that many questions about this material continue to have unsatisfactory answers. Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209124505.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205115808.htm Parts of a car’s bodywork could one day double up as its battery, according to the scientists behind a new project in the UK. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205115808.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144852.htm Researchers in fluid dynamics have studied algae to illuminate fluid mechanics. One of the researchers said, "Nature has long inspired researchers in fluid mechanics to explore the mechanical strategies used by living creatures. Where better to look for innovative solutions to a technological challenge than to organisms that have had millions of years to devise strategies for related challenges?" Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144852.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209191443.htm A new, more efficient low-cost microring resonator for high speed telecommunications systems has been developed. This technological advance capitalizes on the benefits of optical fibers to transmit large quantities of data at ultra-fast speeds. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209191443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209183137.htm Researchers have developed a way to make some notoriously brittle materials ductile -- yet stronger than ever -- simply by reducing their size. The work could eventually lead to the development of innovative, superstrong, yet light and damage-tolerant materials. These new materials could be used as components in structural applications, such as in lightweight aerospace vehicles that last longer under extreme environmental conditions and in naval vessels that are resistant to corrosion and wear. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209183137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100207214119.htm Workers exposed to tricholorethylene, a chemical once widely used to clean metal such as auto parts, may be at a significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a new study. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100207214119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201171649.htm Researchers have designed a bioactive nanomaterial that promotes the growth of new cartilage in vivo and without the use of expensive growth factors. The therapy is minimally invasive, utilizes bone marrow stem cells and produces natural cartilage. Unlike bone, cartilage does not grow back, and it cannot effectively be replaced. Countless people learn this all too well when they bring their bad knees, shoulders and elbows to an orthopedic surgeon. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201171649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144850.htm When metals are shaped, the materials they are made of are often damaged in the process. One cause of this is excessive press force, which cracks and perforates the material. By running simulations on a PC, research scientists can now calculate how to avoid component defects. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205113551.htm IBM researchers have demonstrated a radio-frequency graphene transistor with the highest cut-off frequency achieved so far for any graphene device -- 100 billion cycles/second (100 GigaHertz). The high frequency record was achieved using wafer-scale, epitaxially grown graphene using processing technology compatible to that used in advanced silicon device fabrication. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205113551.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202103446.htm Scientists in Germany have succeeded in developing a method for treating the surface of nanoparticles which greatly improves the efficiency of organic solar cells. The researchers were able to attain an efficiency of 2 percent by using so-called quantum dots composed of cadmium selenide. These measurements, well above the previous efficiency ratings of 1 to 1.8 percent, were confirmed. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202103446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209111801.htm Researchers have developed a method for controlling the properties of magnets that could be used to improve the storage capacity of next-generation computer hard drives. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209111801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203121554.htm Scientists have published the first report on a new way of preventing potentially harmful plasticizers -- the source of long-standing human health concerns -- from migrating from one of the most widely used groups of plastics. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203121554.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205162953.htm A major hurdle in the ambitious quest to design and construct a radically new kind of quantum computer has been finding a way to manipulate the single electrons that very likely will constitute the new machines' processing components or "qubits." Now, a physicist has discovered how to do just that -- demonstrating a method that alters the properties of a lone electron without disturbing the trillions of electrons in its immediate surroundings. The feat is essential to the development of future varieties of superfast computers with near-limitless capacities for data. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205162953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203111628.htm The water content of leaves, their thickness, their density and other properties can now be determined without even having to touch them. Researchers in Spain have presented an innovative technique that enables plant leaves to be studied using ultrasound in a quick, simple and noninvasive fashion. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203111628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205115810.htm With the use of the new super material graphene, Swedish and American researchers have succeeded in producing a new type of lighting component. It is inexpensive to produce and can be fully recycled. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205115810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203111811.htm Carbon emissions from air travel could be reduced, thanks to a new collaboration between engineers in the UK and the aerospace industry. The million project will investigate new ways of using composite materials for wing panels in aircraft. The research will be using carbon fibres that are curved within flat plates to produce damage-tolerant, buckle-free structures. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203111811.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144555.htm Researchers have demonstrated the first laser built from germanium that can emit wavelengths of light useful for optical communications. It's also the first germanium laser to operate at room temperature. Unlike the materials typically used in lasers, germanium is easy to incorporate into existing processes for manufacturing silicon chips. So the result could prove an important step toward computers that move data -- and maybe even perform calculations -- using light instead of electricity. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144547.htm Researchers make new material to clean up oil spills in factories or on the ocean, and conserve the oil. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204204438.htm Scientists have discovered a way to use lasers and nanoparticles to identify and treat individual diseased cells with tiny vapor "nanobubbles." In a new study, the scientists described how to use the method to explode nanobubbles and kill cancer cells. In laboratory tests, they showed they could tune these nanobubbles for "theranostics," a combined approach that melds diagnosis and treatment into a single procedure. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204204438.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203161430.htm Scientists researching how nanomaterials align have found a way to use gold nanorods as orientation sensors by combining their plasmonic properties with polarization imaging techniques. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203161430.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203121552.htm Scientists in Texas are reporting that a technique used in the search for new drugs could also be used in the quest to discover new, environmentally friendly materials for fighting global warming. Such materials could be used to capture the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from industrial smokestacks and other fixed sources before it enters the biosphere. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203121552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129092014.htm Researchers have created the first-ever all-solid-state cryocooler that can be applied to airborne and spaceborne sensors. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129092014.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202151053.htm An international team of researchers has identified a new theoretical approach that may one day make the synthesis of hydrogen fuel storage materials less complicated and improve the thermodynamics and reversibility of the system. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202151053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127113753.htm Just as cooking helps people digest food, pretreating polycarbonate plastic -- source of a huge environmental headache because of its bisphenol A content -- may be the key to disposing of the waste in an eco-friendly way, scientists have found. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127113753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128165844.htm Researchers have engineered microsystems for the detection of water-borne pathogens using a technique called dielectrophoresis (DEP), which separates and identifies cells and microparticles suspended in a medium based on their size and electrical properties. Now they have found a way to provide the nonuniform electric field required for DEP that does not require electrodes to contact the sample fluid. Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128165844.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202111746.htm Pin-sharp projections, light that’s whiter than white, varnishes that make sounds if the temperature changes: at nano tech 2010 in Tokyo, researchers present nanotechnology that is a veritable feast for the senses. Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202111746.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125172954.htm Physicists have long wondered whether hydrogen could be transformed into a metal or a superconductor -- the elusive state in which electrons can flow without resistance. They have speculated that certain pressure and temperature conditions could achieve these goals. Now high-pressure researchers have modeled three hydrogen-dense metal alloys and found pressure and temperature trends associated with the superconducting state -- a huge boost in understanding how this abundant material could be harnessed. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125172954.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127113755.htm Researchers have demonstrated that the semiconductors known as highly mismatched alloys hold great promise for the future development of high performance thermoelectric devices. Thermoelectrics could play a key role in green energy production because of their ability to convert heat into electricity. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127113755.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100131215530.htm Researchers have produced 100mm diameter graphene wafers, a key milestone in the development of graphene for next generation high frequency electronic devices. Graphene is a 2-dimensional layer of tightly bound carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal arrays. Sheets of graphene are the building blocks of graphite. Due to its phenomenal electronic properties, graphene has been considered as a leading material for next generation electronic devices in the multibillion dollar semiconductor industry. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100131215530.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129092606.htm With new, advanced equipment, scientists have shown that materials to produce micro-and nanocomponents react very differently depending on whether crystals are large or small. This research creates important knowledge that can be used to develop technologies aimed at the nanoproduction of micro-electro-mechanical systems such as digital microphones in mobile phones, miniature pressure sensors in water pumps and acceleration sensors in airbags. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129092606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129092408.htm A theoretical study of the phase behavior of liquid water at temperatures close to -100ºC has shown that the four possible scenarios identified to date are in fact specific cases in a more general model. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129092408.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201102024.htm As researchers around the world hasten to employ nanotechnology to improve production methods for applications that range from manufacturing materials to creating new pharmaceutical drugs, scientists are looking at potential environmental exposure, biological effects, and ecological consequences. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201102024.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127144545.htm Researchers have developed a microbe that can produce an advanced biofuel fuel directly from biomass. Deploying the tools of synthetic biology, the researchers engineered a strain of E. coli bacteria to produce biodiesel and other important chemicals derived from fatty acids. Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127144545.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125123229.htm Scientists have come up with a way to transfer forests of strongly aligned, single-walled carbon nanotubes from one surface to another -- any surface -- in a matter of minutes. The template used to grow the nanotubes, with its catalyst particles still intact, can be used repeatedly to grow more nanotubes, almost like inking a rubber stamp. Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125123229.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125150645.htm Scientists are helping to find answers to one of the most difficult problems facing the world today: generating energy without accelerating climate change or harming food production. Researchers are investigating biofuels generated from wastes. These are seen by many as the 'green alternative' to using fossil fuels. Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125150645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129092012.htm Researchers have created self-healing polymers that could extend the lifetime of automotive oils. These polymers are suitable to add to lubricants and could maintain the physical properties of engine oils for longer, they claim helping engine efficiency. Biological materials, such as skin, self heal following damage giving inspiration for these new materials. Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129092012.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125122101.htm For the first time, researchers have developed a transistor that can mimic the main functionalities of a synapse. This organic transistor, based on pentacene and gold nanoparticles and known as a NOMFET (Nanoparticle Organic Memory Field-Effect Transistor), has opened the way to new generations of neuro-inspired computers, capable of responding in a manner similar to the nervous system. Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125122101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128142128.htm Scientists have devised a way to explore how phase transitions -- changes of matter from one state to another without altering chemical makeup -- function in less than three dimensions and at the level of just a few atoms. Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128142128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100126175915.htm In an advance that might interest Q-Branch, the gadget makers for James Bond, researchers have designed and tested experimental antennas that are highly efficient and yet a fraction of the size of standard antenna systems with comparable properties. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100126175915.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127152504.htm Power-generating rubber films developed by engineers could harness natural body movements such as breathing and walking to power pacemakers, mobile phones and other electronic devices. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127152504.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125131456.htm X-rays can do a lot of useful things, but who knew they could cause crystals to form? Researchers have discovered that X-rays can trigger the formation of a new type of crystal: charged cylindrical filaments ordered like a bundle of pencils experiencing repulsive forces, which is unknown in crystals. The results open the door to using X-rays to control the structure of materials or to develop novel biomedical therapies. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125131456.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100126175823.htm Like a Venus flytrap, a new material permanently traps only its desired prey, the radioactive ion cesium, and not harmless sodium ions. The material can remove 100 percent of the cesium -- found in nuclear waste but very difficult to clean up -- from a sodium-heavy solution. It is cesium itself that triggers a structural change in the material, causing it to snap shut its pores and trap the cesium ions. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100126175823.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100126175921.htm Researchers have managed to speed up photons to seemingly faster-than-light speeds through a stack of materials by adding a single, strategically placed layer. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100126175921.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100126153429.htm A tiny eye implant that clears scar tissue and delivers progenitor cells designed to replace photoreceptors damaged by disease passes early tests. Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100126153429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100124162143.htm When scientists discovered a new kind of laser that was generated by an electrically conducting plastic or polymer, no one could explain how it worked and some doubted it was real. Now, a decade later, researchers have found these "random lasers" occur because of natural, mirror-like cavities in the polymers, and they say such lasers may prove useful for diagnosing cancer. Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100124162143.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100121140330.htm A tiny new sensor could provide fresh, inexpensive diagnosis and treatment methods for people suffering from a variety of diseases. Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100121140330.htm